Chapter 1795: Bombarding Hong Taiji, Part Five

"Duke of Cheng, His Majesty commands you to advance another fifty paces!"

A personal guard cavalryman from the headquarters army, wearing red lamellar armor with a command banner at his back, galloped up behind the two thousand gold-armored cavalry who were carefully deploying their formation, found Zhu Chunchen, and loudly delivered the order.

At this command, Zhu Chunchen gave a slight shudder. He craned his neck to look ahead, then turned back and said to the young guard, "Another fifty paces and we'll be at the riverbank. If the Tartar cavalry cross the river, we won't be able to build up a charge!"

The upper reaches of the Old Hamulin River were very narrow — a mere few dozen paces across — and the water was shallow. For the Tartars on the opposite bank to come over was simply a matter of steeling themselves.

Of course, fording on horseback was certainly slow, and keeping formation was difficult too. The moment they set foot on the near bank's shoal they would be extremely vulnerable, easy prey for an enemy cavalry charge. A head-on clash between cavalry was all about the swift striking the slow, the ordered striking the scattered. If the Duke of Cheng's cavalry had some distance from the shoal, they could build up a charge — even charging bare-handed, they could give the just-fording Tartar cavalry a hard time.

But once they hugged the infantry line right at the shoal, there would be no distance for acceleration. The horse formation could not charge, and they could only fight hand-to-hand with the Tartars as they forded over.

"Have no fear, Duke of Cheng. His Majesty is right behind you, personally commanding the cannon battery to oversee the battle!" the young guard shouted. "His Majesty's order: if any of the gold-armored troops retreat without leave, they shall all be blown to pieces by the great cannon!"

What? Blown to pieces by cannon?

Zhu Chunchen hastily turned to look, and his heart nearly shattered!

He saw thirty-six great cannon drawn up in a single line, their black muzzles practically pressed against his own back!

This was simply too brutal. Other people used great blades to oversee battle; the little Emperor used great cannon. Staring at those muzzles, Zhu Chunchen felt chill after chill! If those cannon roared, wouldn't his own slight frame be shattered into several pieces on the spot?

"Damn it," Zhu Chunchen cursed, then spurred his horse and rode back and forth behind the two thousand gold-armored riders, shouting at the top of his lungs as he went, "All of you, forward fifty paces! Forward fifty paces! Do you hear me? Damn it, His Majesty's cannon are pressed right against our backs! Do you little bastards have a death wish? Any man who disobeys and fails to advance — all shall be executed!"

Cannon-backed battle supervision did have its effect. These gold-armored parade soldiers were of course afraid of the Tartars, but the cannon behind them were even more terrifying!

If they met the Tartars, they could still fight it out. Besides, every one of them wore a gold helmet and gold armor and looked quite imposing — the Tartar soldiers might not even dare ford the water to fight them, right?

But if the cannon behind them went off, they would be blown to dust!

Seeing Zhu Chunchen's gold-armored troops grudgingly pushing forward, Zhu Youjian — who had by now merged his main force with the black cannon position — finally let out a breath. He loudly ordered Sun Yuanhua, who stood beside him wearing black studded cloth-faced armor (black artillerymen, of course, had to dress in black): "Regiment Commander Sun, your artillery will also advance. Forward forty paces, then load iron shot!"

"Orders received!" Sun Yuanhua clasped his fist toward Zhu Youjian, then went to direct his black artillerymen forward.

"Wei Zaode!" Zhu Youjian next summoned the man in red studded cloth-faced armor to his presence.

This fellow had originally been a perfectly good juren, studying the classics of the sages in Tongzhou while waiting to sit the jinshi examination — what a fine future! Yet he had been singled out by Zhu Youjian as some reincarnated Zhuge Liang and sent to help Gao Hongtu run the Tongzhou militia. He had assumed it was just a "short-term job" — once Gao Hongtu was promoted, he could go back to studying the sages. With the merit of organizing the militia, once he passed the jinshi examination in the future, he would surely receive important appointments!

But he never imagined that after Gao Hongtu was promoted to Governor-General of Yan-Yun, he would again be named by Zhu Youjian and transferred into the new Capital Camps! And he was made a regiment commander with troops under him (a commissioned post invented by Zhu Youjian), thoroughly trapped. This time he had even been brought to the front by Lu Xiangsheng. Just thinking about it scared a man to death!

However, Zhu Youjian did not send him to charge into the enemy lines. Instead, he was to lead a regiment (over 2,600 men) of infantry to cover Sun the Cannoneer's headquarters artillery regiment.

"This subject is here!" Wei Zaode knew that whenever Zhu Youjian called for him, it was never good news, but he could only steel himself and step forward to receive orders.

"Have your men form ten pike squares, drawn up in a single line, positioned behind the cannon battery, ready to charge the enemy formation!" Zhu Youjian loudly commanded.

What?

Charge the formation? Charge the Tartar formation? Was he expected to die a martyr?

Wei Zaode was nearly frightened to tears, but the little Emperor before him was ferocious — how dare he utter half a word of refusal?

"This subject receives the decree."

Zhu Youjian looked at the "reincarnated Zhuge Liang" before him, his face full of tragic resolve, and smiled as he nodded. "Minister Wei is indeed Our Kongming. Once the bombardment ends, you will lead your troops in the charge. We will personally command two regiments of headquarters iron cavalry to oversee the assault."

Wei Zaode was truly speechless — how had he become a reincarnated Zhuge Liang? Zhuge Liang waved a feather fan; he was now donning armor and leading troops in a charge. How was this Zhuge Liang? This was clearly doing the work of Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun!

And behind him there was even a "ruthless little Liu Bei" overseeing the battle! If this Zhuge Liang fled the field, wouldn't Liu Bei run him through with a sword? Was there ever such a Zhuge Liang, such an Imperial Uncle Liu?

Zhu Youjian did not care what Wei Zaode thought. In any case, he would personally oversee the battle, and he did not expect Wei Zaode's Tongzhou militia (now the new Capital Camps) to achieve much. All he asked was that these men, taking advantage of the chaos after Sun the Cannoneer's black cannon bombarded the Later Jin army, charge across the Old Hamulin River, then deploy a pike formation with their backs to the water on the north bank of the Old Hamulin River.

"Your Majesty, the Tartars' yellow-armored troops are advancing too!"

Zhu Youjian had just finished assigning Wei Zaode his task when Zhu Chunchen sent a man with an urgent report. It turned out that the Tartar Plain Yellow Banner cavalry on the opposite bank of the Old Hamulin River, seeing Zhu Youjian's personal gold-armored troops closing on the riverbank, were unwilling to show weakness and had likewise advanced several dozen paces!

"Good!" Zhu Youjian clapped his hands, then galloped up to a high knoll and began observing the formations from above.

At this moment, the battle formations of both the Great Ming and Later Jin armies were only half deployed — both sides were arrayed along the river.

The Ming side was a mix of infantry and cavalry. Looking over from the Later Jin side, the gold-armored cavalry were in the center, red-armored cavalry held the flanks in support, and between the gold-armored and red-armored cavalry were large bodies of pikemen, saber-and-shield men, and archers. In front of these Ming infantry were also placed many wooden shields and cheval-de-frise, but no side-carts had been brought out.

The Later Jin side was pure cavalry, and they had not brought out the shield-carts they most commonly used in pitched battle. Their formation was also somewhat loose and disordered — perhaps because their great formation was not yet complete?

And the Later Jin army's "yellow-armored troops," just as Zhu Youjian had predicted, had been drawn to the center of their great formation, and were now trading curses across the river with Zhu Chunchen's gold-armored troops. As for what they were cursing, the distance was too great and the battlefield too noisy, so Zhu Youjian could not hear.

He took out his telescope again and began searching the Later Jin lines for Hong Taiji — and he actually found one!

He saw this Hong Taiji dressed all in golden yellow, wearing cotton armor embroidered with some pattern, a helmet with a pole standing upright on top, surrounded by a great crowd of fully armed Tartar yellow-armored troops. He stood directly behind the yellow-armored troops facing off against Zhu Chunchen's gold-armored troops, only a few dozen paces from the north bank of the Old Hamulin River! Behind him was a great heap of banners of every color — quite a lively sight!

Zhu Youjian looked more carefully and saw that the man was tall and powerfully built, sitting his horse with considerable authority. The yellow-armored troops around him all stood at silent attention, none daring to whisper to one another. From time to time, dispatch riders galloped up to report something to him, then galloped off again!

It seemed this man was indeed Hong Taiji!

Zhu Youjian drew a breath. This Hong Taiji was right under the muzzles of Sun the Cannoneer's cannon. If they hit him, the Tartars would be finished, and the Great Ming would be restored! Then even "pacifying Liao in five years" would be too conservative — pacifying Liao and annihilating the Tartars would be a matter of just a year or two.

"Truly Heaven aids me!" Zhu Youjian shouted in excitement. "Pass the order: have Zhu Chunchen's men split into two columns and withdraw to the left and right. Then pass the order to Sun Yuanhua: his cannon are to open fire immediately once the gold-armored troops have withdrawn! Target the Tartars' yellow-armored troops. Give them a vicious pounding — kill Hong Taiji!"

(End of Chapter)