Chapter 173: Section 30: Meeting Again

Right now, before Huang Shi, the little monkey was pounding the ground and wailing, while Zhang Feimao lay quietly beneath the command banner, his body pierced by over thirty arrows, seven of them in his face. Moments earlier, Zhang Feimao’s fierce resistance had stalled the Later Jin army’s advance, so Hong Taiji dispatched his personal guard to snipe him; caught off guard while fighting on horseback… the little monkey had exhausted every ounce of his strength just to drag his body back under Huang Shi’s banner.

Huang Shi had already prepared for the collapse of the left wing. He had ordered the central firefighting battalion to pivot eastward, and had also recalled ten squads of infantry from the right wing to urgently deploy a second line of defense. But the infantry moved far too slowly; before the troops could fully get into position, the routed left-wing soldiers had already thrown this thin defensive line into chaos. This was a scenario Huang Shi had not anticipated.

Huang Shi had originally ordered the firefighting battalion to leave gaps in the line so that the routed soldiers could pass through without crashing directly into the defenses, but the surging tide of fleeing men was simply too great, and they were all utterly exhausted. Although the squad leaders of the firefighting battalion shouted desperately for them to go around, most of the soldiers, after continuous fighting and retreat, no longer had the physical strength or clear awareness. They had held out against Hong Taiji’s elite troops for so long; now they could hold on no longer.

The moment these exhausted soldiers of the Vanguard Battalion saw friendly troops, they staggered over, seeking shelter. Some collapsed to the ground the instant they drew near, completely drained right at the feet of the firefighting battalion soldiers. Others, once they had crawled to the feet of their comrades and felt safe, relaxed entirely and promptly passed out.

Huang Shi had already turned to face due east, watching expressionlessly as the situation ahead grew worse and worse. He immediately threw in the two squads just recalled from the right wing, but before they could even catch their breath, they were swept up by the surging tide of men and forced back step by step.

“My lord, attack, let them attack.” Hong Antong could hardly bear to watch any longer. He had already suggested ordering the firefighting battalion soldiers on the line to attack indiscriminately at the onrushing tide, whether friend or foe.

But Huang Shi simply could not bring himself to be so ruthless. He had seen with his own eyes how these soldiers were beaten back time and again, how they regrouped and hurled themselves forward time and again. Completely suppressed, they had relied on nothing but flesh and blood to slow the charging rhythm of Hong Taiji’s cavalry. Yet it was this single moment of soft-heartedness that cost Huang Shi dearly.

The firefighting battalion’s line on the left wing also began to waver. The routed friendly soldiers everywhere left the firefighting battalion troops without enough room, and whenever enough Heavy Armor Soldiers charged close, they inflicted devastating casualties on the firefighting battalion. Without the constraint of distance, just a few frenzied Heavy Armor Soldiers could easily rout an entire squad of the firefighting battalion.

Signs of fragmentation appeared in the firefighting battalion’s line. More and more enemy soldiers poured into the breaches. One, two, three… Huang Shi watched as the Heavy Armor Soldiers repeatedly pierced the Ming army’s spear formations and burst straight through to the rear of the firefighting battalion’s defenses. Facing attacks from the rear, the firefighting battalion’s command structure also began to fail.

Huang Shi watched helplessly as the Heavy Armor Soldiers cut down his soldiers one after another. Soldiers began disobeying orders and fighting on their own; some simply snapped their long spears over their knees and used them as short spears. This only accelerated the dissolution of the line—their hand-to-hand combat skills were simply no match for the enemy’s.

“Too many new recruits.” Huang Shi shook his head grimly. The firefighting battalion soldiers finally began abandoning their weapons and retreating. The Plain White Banner cavalry, charging in pursuit, cut down the fleeing soldiers one by one, yet Huang Shi could only watch helplessly, with no effective reserves left at hand to send.

The act of fleeing spread like a plague. On the swept-up battle line, the firefighting battalion began retreating in entire formations. They ran in disarray toward the command banner, leaving their backs exposed to the enemy. This was the first time since the founding of the army on Changsheng Island. Amid this wave of rout, even the few brave soldiers were instantly swallowed up by the enemy’s onslaught.

Huang Shi had originally hoped that Hong Taiji would preserve his strength and retreat, allowing him to harvest the fruits of victory in peace, but the scene before him mercilessly shattered that illusion. One who cannot plan for ten thousand generations cannot plan for a single moment; one who cannot plan for the whole cannot plan for a single corner. Hong Taiji had no intention whatsoever of abandoning his allies and withdrawing. Even at the moment when the Later Jin army’s center and left wing were in total collapse, he stubbornly pressed his attack, still seeking to turn defeat into victory at this very moment.

Watching the chaotic tide of men press ever closer to the command banner, Hong Antong spurred his horse forward, seized Huang Shi’s reins, and said urgently, “My lord, let the command banner fall back just a little.” He glanced around at the other battlefields, then turned back and said, “My lord, the Jianzhou slaves’ center and left wing have already collapsed. It won’t matter if the command banner falls back a little. Just fall back a little.”

Huang Shi dismounted and walked alone toward his banner. The banner guard beneath it seemed utterly deaf to the sounds of slaughter drawing ever nearer from the left; his right hand still gripped the flagpole tightly, his left hand held his saber in reverse grip, and he gazed motionlessly due south. The two banner guards behind him also stood ramrod straight, just like the long spears in their hands.

“Face left.”

Huang Shi gave the banner guard a soft command, then directly ordered him: “Recall the entire army.”

Hong Antong had already arrived with the remaining men. He shouted, “Inner Guard, draw blades, dismount,” then was the first to run up and take his place before Huang Shi.

Huang Shi drew his sword and handed it to Hong Antong: “Take my sword. Anyone who retreats—execute!”

Besides the sword, Huang Shi also carried a blade on his person. He had brought both the precious blade and the fine sword gifted by Wei Zhongxian, one on each side. Huang Shi’s fingers unconsciously rubbed the hilt of the blade—must I draw my blade again? I truly am a poor general.

Hong Antong raised Huang Shi’s sword high in his left hand and shouted: “Inner Guard, form ranks! Anyone who charges our formation—kill without mercy! Anyone who takes one step back—kill without mercy!”

Before them, heads bobbed and surged; behind the hundreds and thousands of routed soldiers were over a thousand Later Jin cavalry, fierce as tigers. The onrushing tide of men was overwhelming; any individual martial valor seemed utterly insignificant before several thousand men.

Huang Shi gazed at the surging tide rushing toward him, shook his head, and blasted the faint sense of helplessness from his chest. Infantry without unified command is nothing but loose sand; the battlefield mobility of cavalry is enough to destroy them piecemeal. The Jianzhou slaves, the Heavy Armor Soldiers—such grand reputations, yet to me they seem nothing more than this. Hong Taiji, bring out whatever skills you still have. No matter what, you will not move my Huang Shi’s command banner by a single inch.

Not long after standing beside the banner, Huang Shi suddenly sensed someone else had come to his side. He looked closely and saw it was Wu Mu. Wu Mu stood shoulder to shoulder on Huang Shi’s left, his eyes deep and bright, the corners of his mouth carrying a faint, carefree smile. If only… if only his chin were not so bare, lacking a long wisp of beard, this image would have been that of an immortal among men.

Huang Shi turned his head slightly and saw that Chen Ruike and Zhang Gaosheng had also dismounted and stood on the ground. The two of them stood with legs braced wide apart, hands gripping their sword hilts, their thick, full beards gently ruffled by the north wind. The gold-trimmed silver-scale armor of the Son of Heaven’s personal troops, paired with their fiery red cloaks, made them look utterly majestic, like celestial soldiers and generals descended to the mortal world.

Noticing Huang Shi’s gaze, Zhang Gaosheng merely tightened his face into a proud smile. Even Chen Ruike, who was usually as long-winded as a Tang monk, said no nonsense; he simply pressed his lips tightly together and nodded twice slightly in salute to Huang Shi.

Wu Mu seemed to have originally intended to strike a pose of stroking his beard while smiling, but his hand reached his chin before he realized he could not pull off the scholar-official’s air of smiling at the shifting clouds. Fortunately, Wu Mu had always been quick-witted; he adapted on the spot and pressed his hand to his chest instead. After stroking his chest and smiling for a moment, he let out a long sigh and said, “For our household to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder against the enemy with General Huang today is a joy beyond compare. When our household returns to the palace, we shall have more tales to tell. In days to come, when the ever-victorious General Huang’s name is recorded in the annals of history, perhaps our household might humbly accompany it.”

The tide of men pressed ever closer to the command banner. The Inner Guard had already led their horses over and positioned them sideways as a barrier before them. Hong Antong stood in front of Huang Shi, leaning out from behind the horses to observe the battle situation. Seeing that the foremost routed soldiers were now less than thirty meters away, he lowered the face guard of his helmet and barked: “Inner Guard, prepare for battle.”

The entire Inner Guard lowered their face guards, turned sideways, and adopted an arrow-drawing stance, bracing themselves with their left hands on the saddles. Their right hands were already bent back, drawing their blades. Their red cloaks were draped diagonally across their chests; the thick fabric could also provide a measure of defense against arrows. Huang Shi and the banner guards behind him also lowered their face guards together. Their breath, exhaled onto the cold metal masks and rebounding back, brought with it a metallic scent that added a great deal of security.

The Inner Guard, arrayed in strict formation, stood like an indestructible reef. The killing aura radiating from them parted the rolling tide of men; the routed soldiers streamed around both flanks of the formation. Many of the fleeing soldiers, upon seeing the command banner, halted their steps and spontaneously regrouped behind it. The firefighting battalion soldiers among the routed felt even more ashamed; they circled around and came forward one after another, standing behind the Inner Guard and gasping for breath, whether they still had weapons or not.

Before the routed soldiers had fully dispersed, the rumbling of waist drums sounded from behind Huang Shi. He had four squads of pikemen form a line behind the Inner Guard, while one squad of arquebusiers rested their arquebuses directly on the horses’ backs. The remaining infantry of this unit, still led by their officers, struggled to maintain formation and order amid the tide of men, advancing toward the flanking cover positions of the Inner Guard.

The surging tide before them finally dispersed completely. Huang Shi was slightly surprised not to see the enemy following up and charging forward; instead, they had halted far away, fifty meters off. The routed soldiers, having fled past the command banner, finally slowed down as well. These were now empty-handed combat soldiers, panting heavily and unable to resist looking around for any weapon they could grab.

The two armies faced off across the fifty-meter distance. Huang Shi still did not give the order for the arquebuses to fire, waiting quietly for the flanking troops to get into position—every minute he could delay now was a minute gained.

The distant battle line suddenly caved in, forming a small inward-dented triangle. Huang Shi craned his neck to look; at the base of the triangle, a mounted leader in yellow armor seemed to ride out ahead of the others. That leader appeared to be turning to speak with the men beside him, and then a dozen or so Later Jin soldiers ran to the front of the formation and shouted in unison: “We request that General Huang Shi of the Great Ming come out for a meeting.”

The Ming battle line responded with silence. Not long after, Huang Shi saw the leader seem to say something more, and soon another shout came from the front of the formation: “An old acquaintance from Liaoyang seeks only a brief meeting with General Huang, with no ill intent. May General Huang come out and answer?”

Huang Shi did see that the Heavy Armor Soldiers opposite had even lowered their bows. Besides, at fifty meters, unless one had a sniper rifle, not even an immortal could hit anyone. The moment he took a step forward, Wu Mu beside him hastily grabbed him and whispered urgently: “General Huang, the Jianzhou slaves are cunning; you must not risk yourself.”

“Eunuch Wu, your insight is clear. My troops are currently outflanking them; if I can delay just a little while, we can deal the enemy a heavy blow.” After Huang Shi finished his explanation, Wu Mu released his grip. Huang Shi begged his pardon and prepared to go forward.

But the yellow-armored leader opposite seemed to have grown impatient. He muttered a few low instructions, wheeled his horse around, and left. The Later Jin army also withdrew in good order, with only the final shout drifting over from afar: “Three years since we parted at Liaoyang, Mr. Huang’s bearing has never faded from memory. To be unable to meet today is a profound regret.”

Once the state of alert was lifted, the Ming army dispatched large numbers of support troops to begin clearing the battlefield. The task of collecting heads was assigned to the few support troops the firefighting battalion had brought. The Vanguard Battalion, knowing they had narrowly escaped death, mostly did not contest Huang Shi’s men for them. Even if someone wanted to hide a head for themselves, they handed it over amid their comrades’ shouts of rebuke. In this way, Huang Shi’s combat soldiers finally managed to maintain their battle formation.

Wu Mu asked curiously about Hong Taiji’s words, and Huang Shi recounted his experience of going to Liaoyang as a spy. Wu Mu clicked his tongue repeatedly in amazement, praising Huang Shi’s great wisdom and courage, saying he truly deserved to be called the pillar of Liaonan and a famed general of the nation. Sun Degong’s betrayal made Wu Mu stamp his feet in fury, and he repeatedly cheered when he heard Huang Shi had destroyed him. But when he then heard that Huang Shi had also destroyed Sun MM in the blink of an eye, Wu Mu was somewhat taken aback. Still, in the end, he said: “To place righteousness above family ties—it is only right and proper.”

The Plain White Banner, meanwhile, entered Nanguan Fort openly and at leisure, setting off fireworks to rally their scattered troops while watching the Ming army clear the battlefield from just a few li away. If the Ming army did not want to freeze to death in this desolate wilderness, they would have to return to Jinzhou before nightfall—a fact the Later Jin clearly understood well, which was why they lounged so idly in Nanguan, watching the Ming troops drink the wind.

Huang Shi was dismayed to see that, although the Later Jin army had clearly been forced back by the Ming army, after this exchange, the Ming army’s morale had been greatly weakened. It seemed many soldiers felt their commander had been put at a disadvantage before the enemy—yet, it was clearly Hong Taiji who had fled. How did it end up looking as if he had drifted away gracefully, as if he simply chose not to contend with me?

Wu Mu saw Huang Shi’s displeasure and hurriedly consoled him: “General Huang, do not be troubled. This was a great victory for our Great Ming, a rout of the Jianzhou slaves. All of this happened under the bright sun and moon, in broad daylight. Do not be troubled, do not be troubled.”

These words drew a self-mocking snort from Huang Shi. Before he could explain, someone came to report the battle results. Wu Mu smiled easily, nodding and swaying his head as he listened to the report.

In this battle, eight hundred and seventy heads were taken. Fewer than two hundred of these were killed by the Ming army in direct combat; the rest were wounded left behind on the battlefield or routed soldiers caught during the sweeping pursuit. Yet the Ming army’s own fatalities reached as high as nine hundred. Fewer than three hundred of these were killed or wounded during the left-wing defensive battle—the wounded, naturally, had all died as well—while the rest were mostly killed by cavalry during the rout.

The firefighting battalion also lost nearly three hundred men. The center and right wing had only twenty-some casualties; most of the soldiers there were wounded rather than killed. Ninety percent of the deaths occurred on the collapsed left wing. The Vanguard Battalion also had nearly three hundred wounded, and the firefighting battalion over two hundred wounded. However, the firefighting battalion’s injuries were mostly light, with few severe wounds or permanent disabilities. The Vanguard Battalion, on the other hand, was estimated to have over a hundred men who, even if they survived, would never return to the battlefield.

“One for one,” Wu Mu murmured to himself. He asked for the numbers to be repeated several times, and once he confirmed there was no mistake, an expression of disbelief crossed his face: “Clearly our army won a great victory—how can this be?”

“Our army has too few cavalry; the wounded couldn’t escape, whereas the Jianzhou slaves, as long as they weren’t badly hurt, all ran off.” Huang Shi estimated that the Later Jin side would also have large numbers of wounded. The final outcome of this battle should be that the Ming army retained more combat-effective soldiers, but without cavalry, it was truly difficult to expand the fruits of victory. And besides…

Huang Shi pointed at the great banner of the Plain White Banner atop Nanguan and cursed with extreme hatred: “If Hong Taiji hadn’t fiercely attacked my command banner, our army could have relentlessly pursued the routed troops of the Plain Blue and Plain Red Banners. Instead, our army was forced to regroup, letting so many Jianzhou slave infantry escape! And at the final critical moment, that scoundrel slipped away on horseback. In the end, we gained nothing, and let the cooked duck fly away.”

The Ming army also captured over two thousand three hundred suits of armor, countless weapons and supplies, and over a hundred horses, indicating that the combat soldiers of more than twenty niru had now lost their fighting capability. Hearing this, Huang Shi grew even more displeased: “This is because we won. The Jianzhou slaves threw down their weapons and ran. Our soldiers, wearing iron armor, couldn’t even catch horses, let alone the Jianzhou slaves running bare. If we had lost, few of our Great Ming’s fourteen thousand soldiers here would have survived.”

Wu Mu laughed involuntarily: “General Huang exaggerates.” He did not believe Huang Shi could lose a battle. “But—where is Mobile Corps Commander He?” He Dingyuan had gone far off in pursuit of Manggūltai and had not returned after all this time.

Thinking of his horse unit, Huang Shi’s mood improved somewhat: “We’ll just wait for Mobile Corps Commander He to rejoin the army. The horse unit should have some gains to report.”

The firefighting battalion sent up flares repeatedly and dispatched scouts in the direction of He Dingyuan’s pursuit, but there was still no word from the horse unit. This made Huang Shi very uneasy. The surrounding area was thick with routed Later Jin soldiers, and the Plain White Banner had been signaling from Nanguan all along for the surrounding Later Jin troops to regroup there. Against the backdrop of the Later Jin army’s collapse, a horse unit of two hundred men could not be said to be in great danger, but there was still some risk.

Huang Shi raised his head to look at the sky. The battle had been over for more than an hour. The Ming army had largely recovered its strength; the wounded had all been treated, and support troops assigned to carry them had been arranged. The main army would have to set out soon, or they would not make it back to Jinzhou before dark.