Chapter 237: Section Fifty-Two: Attack and Defense

The overwhelming roar of taunts made Wu Nege and the other Later Jin officers flush red and pale by turns. If any other army had dared to be so insolent, Wu Nege would never have endured it — he would have insisted on fighting to the death, forcing the enemy to swallow their own boasts.

But the moment he recalled the illustrious and awe-inspiring reputation of the foe across from him, it was as if a basin of ice-cold snow water had been dashed over his head, extinguishing every spark of fury in Wu Nege’s chest. Though he stood on ice frozen as hard as iron, cold sweat still seeped from his forehead. He calculated secretly in his mind: “There are seven Dongjiangzhen Company Commander banners — five belong to Firefighting Battalion. The other two are not Boulder Battalion, but they bear the same serpent pattern, so they must also be from the Changsheng Island core lineage…”

The other Later Jin officers, like Wu Nege, were not core members, so none of them yet recognized the new banner of the Vanguard Battalion. But the general’s banner atop the tall platform opposite was unmistakably Huang Shi’s. It truly appeared to be the genuine Firefighting Battalion. When the soldiers who understood Chinese translated the shouted insults for their comrades, most of the Manchu soldiers in the Later Jin ranks showed not the slightest anger — instead, their morale utterly collapsed.

Though he had not taken part in the battle of Fuzhou, Wu Nege had heard the rumor that a single Company Commander unit from Changsheng Island had once smashed through eight Later Jin niru in succession. Although Nurhaci had strictly forbidden the spread of this gossip, many among the Mongol soldiers had also heard of the Changsheng Army’s fearsome reputation. These soldiers, who had never personally experienced the Changsheng Island fighting strength, began whispering among themselves, their faces full of hesitation.

Wu Nege happened to remember that the Manchu jala commander leading the troops beside him had been to the Fuzhou region. He turned his head to look. That Plain Yellow Banner jala commander and several niru ejen stood as if turned to wood, and the soldiers behind them were each more ashen-faced than the last. Two niru who had not gone to Fuzhou did seem somewhat eager to try their luck, but no matter how they tried to rouse their comrades, the commanding jala janggin could not summon the slightest spirit. His lips trembling, he said to Wu Nege: “Across from us are two thousand five hundred to three thousand Dongjiang soldiers, led by Huang Shi of Changsheng Island. This is absolutely not something we can handle. We must report back to the Khan immediately!”

……

The Later Jin troops within view retreated faster and faster, soon vanishing from the ice. It seemed they were unwilling to remain before the Ming army’s eyes a moment longer. Yao Yuxian first cursed them bitterly as “gutless rats,” then stroked his beard, placed his hands on his hips, and turned about several times with a self-satisfied, swaggering air, tilting his face to the sky and bursting into loud laughter.

In the center, the Changsheng Army still silently gripped their weapons, awaiting orders. The Juehua–Guanning troops, on the other hand, were all raw recruits on a battlefield for the first time. Although they had been far from the fighting just now, many had been so tense they could not speak. Once the tension suddenly broke, officers and soldiers alike began shouting at the top of their lungs, loudly mocking the enemy across from them. The hilltops on both wings erupted with earth-shaking jeers, laughter, and cheers.

After word spread by mouth, the merchants and military household dependents watching from within the island all breathed a huge sigh of relief. Once they had exhaled deeply, they too began shouting and cheering, everyone praising Huang Shi’s awe-inspiring prestige without end.

A plump, middle-aged Shandong merchant stroked the long beard flowing down his chest, wearing an expression of complete wisdom and foresight: “The tiger-like majesty of the Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent — how would those Tartars dare to look upon it directly? Hmph, I knew all along the Tartars would flee without a fight.”

Several merchants nearby echoed him upon hearing this:

“Well said, Proprietor Gu!”

“As expected of Proprietor Gu!”

“Proprietor Gu is truly a model for us all!”

Beside this clamoring crowd stood a pair of sisters. Hearing the talk beside them, they both secretly covered their mouths and laughed. This very Proprietor Gu, now boasting so loudly, had just moments ago been trembling from thigh to calf, endlessly reciting “Namo Guanshiyin Bodhisattva, protect us” over and over, nearly collapsing limp to the ground.

The elder of the two sisters soon withdrew her smile. Gazing with deep emotion toward the towering command platform in the distance, her large eyes were filled entirely with admiration. The young girl beside her, seeing this, tugged at the corner of her clothing and teased softly: “Elder Sister usually hates General Huang to the bone, wishing him dead a thousand times. Now that you’ve seen the man himself, why are you no longer angry?”

“Ah.” The elder sister did not grow angry. She merely sighed a long, wistful breath: “Already a married woman — what a pity, what a regret.”

The younger sister giggled and did not continue to tease her elder sister. After watching the excitement a while longer, she suddenly sighed with emotion: “General Huang is truly a hero, but unfortunately he would not make a good companion.”

“Oh?” The elder sister beside her glanced at the younger sister upon hearing this and asked, somewhat impatiently: “Are you going to say again that General Huang is of crooked mind and cruelly murdered his wife?”

“After seeing General Huang, I feel that although he cannot be called utterly selfless, he is by no means a cold-blooded and heartless man. I imagine he must have had unavoidable, bitter reasons back then. It is just that such a man may not necessarily value his wife.” The younger sister blinked for a moment, her dark pupils flowing with longing and fantasy: “My future husband, on the other hand, suits my wishes perfectly — a fair-faced scholar who has just earned scholarly rank. I will become a virtuous helpmate, until he goes out as general and enters as chancellor, enfeoffs his wife and brings honor to his sons.”

The light in her eyes gradually dimmed. The younger sister shifted her entranced gaze back ahead and murmured thoughtfully in a low assessment: “Those who serve with beauty — when beauty fades, love slackens. If Father had agreed to his marriage proposal back then, my days would surely have been utterly flavorless. General Huang has already stirred the realm with his fame; within two years he will reach the highest official rank. How then would he ever understand my worth or hold me in esteem?”

When the other several Guanning Army officers ran up to the command platform, Yao Yuxian was still there laughing wildly. Seeing Huang Shi sitting quietly on a stool, utterly composed, they came over and asked: “General Huang, is something amiss?”

Huang Shi gave a light laugh and said with an indifferent expression: “I believe the Jianzhou slaves will certainly come to attack in full force.”

“The… the entire army? Wh… why?” When Yao Yuxian spoke, even his tongue was not working smoothly.

This time Wu Nege had not even made a probing attempt before retreating in utter dejection with his entire force — it was truly far too humiliating. Just now, the moment Huang Shi saw the Later Jin army hesitating and not advancing, he had begun calling out challenges, precisely hoping to stir the enemy’s anger and make them launch at least some probing attack. In Huang Shi’s original estimation, as long as he could kill and wound some Later Jin soldiers and demonstrate a certain fighting strength — just like at the battle of Ningyuan — the Later Jin army, already well-sated with plunder, would recognize the difficulty and withdraw to preserve their lives.

But the consequence of the enemy not daring to fight today was no longer a matter of the Later Jin host recognizing difficulty and withdrawing. If the Later Jin army lacked even the courage to fight a single battle before the Changsheng Island banners, and such a disgraceful affair spread through the ranks, then there would be no need to fight future battles at all. A general is the courage of the army; if that courage collapses, the army is ruined. Therefore, this precedent absolutely could not be allowed to stand — moreover, the enemy had not even probed, and still had no idea whether Juehua was actually easy to attack or not.

“Among the Jianzhou slaves who came just now, there must have been many who have fought our army before. That was a coincidence.” After pouring out these concerns in his mind, Huang Shi smiled again: “I suspect the Later Jin army will come again, and come with their entire force.”

“The old slave can accept a lost battle, but he cannot accept a retreat without a fight. The blow to morale would be far too severe — absolutely intolerable. I suspect the old slave will certainly severely punish the commanding officer this time. But he himself is only a dozen or so li from us. If he punishes the officer yet takes no corresponding action, how can he command obedience?”

Huang Shi rose to his feet, walked to the railing, and gave a long laugh toward the west: “Wu Nege, you are truly too foolish. You have forced your master into a position with no step to descend upon.”

Gazing at his field fortifications, Huang Shi understood that a bloody battle — one neither side necessarily desired — was about to take place here. He was still quite confident in his own Changsheng Army, but although the Juehua Guanning troops were positioned behind the Changsheng Army’s flank, they still made Huang Shi deeply worried. Right now, though they had no route of escape, it would still be unbearable if they were to panic and break. Historically, right up until the Later Jin army withdrew, the seven Guanning Army battalions inside Ningyuan Fort had not even dared to open the city gates; presumably, the diversionary role they could play would also be very limited.

“Under heavy reward, there will surely be brave men.” Huang Shi murmured softly, then turned back around and began discussing countermeasures with Yao Yuxian and the others, whose faces had gone utterly bloodless.

……

That afternoon, at the entrance of the Juehua silver vault, Huang Shi had another fierce quarrel with Zhao Yingong. The exasperated Assistant Prefect Zhao spread his arms wide, guarding the storehouse behind him like an old hen protecting her chicks: “General Huang, how to reward meritorious officers and soldiers after battle — the state has its own laws and regulations. As an appointed official of the imperial court, how can you come and take it upon your own authority? Does this not make you a bandit?”

The several Guanning Army officers behind him kept far away, pricking up their ears to listen to the two men’s argument. Huang Shi smiled at Zhao Yingong and said: “My lord Zhao, it is merely distributing some silver rewards in advance. If we lose the battle, nothing can be preserved anyway.”

“Indeed, my lord Zhao.” Assistant Regional Commander Yao, who was nearest, also mustered his courage to chime in. When Zhao Yingong glared at him, he shrank his neck back, but still urged in a low voice: “As long as we hold Juehua, won’t the great merit of central planning and strategy be yours, my lord Zhao?”

Zhao Yingong maintained his posture with arms spread wide and shouted indignantly at Huang and Yao: “This silver is all military payroll — the food in the mouths and the clothes on the backs of the hundred thousand soldiers of Liaoxi! It belongs to the state and cannot be moved without authorization. The fat and blood of the people must not be squandered. How can it be recklessly given out as rewards? You two generals, by all means urge the soldiers to fight the rebels bravely. Not a single coin of the rewards afterward will be shorted for them. This official will certainly secure them on their behalf — this official swears an oath here and now!”

Yao Yuxian, hiding behind Huang Shi, seemed to want to say a couple more words, but Huang Shi had already lost patience with wasting words on Zhao Yingong. He drew out the silver warrant arrow and raised it high, letting every civil and military official present see it clearly: “Assistant Prefect Zhao, this officer commands you to immediately inventory the silver in the treasury and send it to the front lines to reward the troops. There must be no error!”

Zhao Yingong narrowed his eyes and looked up at the warrant arrow. It emitted a dazzling silver light under the sun. After a long moment, he muttered: “That thing has no authority over this official.”

Huang Shi demanded sternly: “The imperially bestowed silver warrant arrow can command all officials of the fifth rank and below. How does it have no authority over you, Assistant Prefect Zhao? May I ask what rank my lord Zhao holds?”

Zhao Yingong still stubbornly insisted: “This official is civil rank six.”

“What rank are you?”

……

The twenty-sixth day of the twelfth month of the fifth year of the Tianqi reign.

The ice surface several li away was densely covered with the banners and standards of the Later Jin army. From early morning, Huang Shi had stood on the command platform gazing westward. Behind him stood Assistant Regional Commander Yao, Eunuch Wu, and Assistant Prefect Zhao. Aside from one battalion under Assistant Regional Commander Yao held as a reserve, the rest of the Guanning Army had been deployed to the defensive lines on the two flanking wings to the side and rear. If the Later Jin army tried to attack them, they would face not only the cannon fire from the Guanning Army’s defensive line but also the threat of flanking fire and flank attacks from the Changsheng Army.

The military dependents and merchants of Juehua had all run up the eastern hill again to watch the battle. That Proprietor Gu pressed his palms together, a large string of prayer beads wrapped around his wrist, bowing and saluting toward heaven while shouting with tears and snot streaming down his face: “Savior from suffering, most merciful and compassionate Guanzizai Bodhisattva, protect us. Bodhisattva, protect us. Bodhisattva, you must protect the government troops! This humble man will surely go to Mount Putuo to rebuild the temple and recast your golden body!”

At that moment, the military chaplains of Changsheng Island were also leading the faithful among the troops in prayer. With Huang Shi’s victory after victory, the congregation of the Loyalty to Sovereign and Love of Nation Catholic Church had steadily grown. Coupled with some of Changsheng Island’s incentive measures, even more officers had come to believe in God. The black-robed chaplains before the army rose from the ground one after another, and as they stood, the massed officers and soldiers of Changsheng Island also completed their pre-battle prayers.

Whether they were followers of the Loyalty to Sovereign and Love of Nation Catholic Church or not, all three thousand officers and soldiers of Changsheng Island raised their weapons toward the sky in rhythmic unison, letting out a fervent, confident roar:

“Serve God with sincerity, and no prayer goes unanswered.”

“Serve the sovereign with loyalty, and no endeavor goes unfulfilled.”

This valiant, heroic cry made Wu Mu smile faintly as he listened, for it was the slogan he had recommended to Huang Shi, and he had always been rather proud of it.

The zealous black-robed chaplains strode back and forth before the army, waving their arms furiously as they shouted unceasingly at the officers and soldiers: “Victory! Victory! Victory for the Great Ming, glorious victory — this is the will of God, the irresistible will!”

“Long live…”

“Long live…”

“…Long live, long live.”

After the Changsheng Army’s mountain-roaring cries of “Long live,” a single beat of gong and drum sounded, and the entire army instantly returned to a state of utter silence. Firefighting Battalion First Company pikeman Dugu Qiu brushed the dirt from his knees, stepped forward together with his comrades to left and right, rested his long pike on the wooden palisade, and pointed it toward the enemy on the horizon. He had just prayed to God: first, that he might survive; second, that he might receive reward money — the more the better; third, that he might earn a medal or a promotion.

Dugu Qiu traced a final cross over his chest — If I truly must die in battle, O God, at least reserve a place for me in Heaven.

……

After the formations were complete, the long, drawn-out sound of horns rose almost simultaneously from every direction. Wu Nege, who had been given a lashing the day before, gently nudged his horse’s belly and fell in behind the front row of shielded carts. The Ming army’s strength across from them was now basically clear: roughly ten thousand combat troops in total, of which only the three thousand Dongjiang soldiers under Huang Shi’s command possessed fighting strength. The rest were Guanning troops who had never been on a battlefield. The Later Jin army, after deducting the garrison troops deployed at the various forts along the route, still had twelve thousand armored soldiers and over two thousand five hundred Mongol soldiers here — roughly five times the Dongjiang army across from them.

“Seven hundred meters.” An observer at a six-pounder cannon emplacement reported the figure in a calm tone.

The Squad Commander of the gun crew immediately gave the loud order: “Prepare for ricochet fire.”

The gun crews had long since adjusted their angles. At the order, the gunners raised their torches and stood ready by the touchholes. At the order, the bore-clearers also stepped forward, taking their positions at the muzzles and standing ready.

"Six hundred meters." The rangefinder read the figure from his rangefinder, his tone unchanged.

"Fire!"

The two six-pounder cannons fired one after the other. As the cannon reports sounded, the Squad Commanders of both gun crews craned their necks to watch the fall of shot, while the bore-clearers and ammunition handlers, under the direction of the gun captains, carried out their work methodically.

"A hit!" Assistant Regional Commander Yao, who had been staring tensely at the enemy army, suddenly let out an utterly ecstatic roar, his fist simultaneously slamming heavily onto the command platform railing. Immediately after came another shout of approval, as if no one else were present: "Another hit! Both shots hit! Heaven truly blesses our Great Ming."

The cannonballs had bounced up to the proper height, and two shield-carts in a single line were almost simultaneously smashed to splinters. Wood fragments from the carts and the blood of the pushers were flung together into the air. The hard, smooth ice surface greatly magnified the power of the cannonballs; the solid lead spheres bounded and rebounded continuously, tearing through the Later Jin army's column with lightning speed.

As these two cannonballs streaked past like bolts of lightning, a continuous crackling and snapping arose from within the Later Jin ranks — countless human and horse leg bones were smashed to powder. Yet it was only when the cannonballs had charged through to the rear of the formation that human shrieks and the pitiful cries of horses began to surge up along the paths they had taken.

"Fire!"

"Fire!"

The two six-pounder cannons roared again...

"So fast..." Assistant Regional Commander Yao's exclamation was only half out before it was replaced by a wild shout of ecstasy: "A hit! Another hit! Ah... both shots hit!"

Eunuch Wu's ears were nearly deafened on the spot by Assistant Regional Commander Yao's shout. He tilted his head away and stepped back, looking contemptuously at this country bumpkin who had seen nothing of the world and made such a fuss over nothing. He saw Assistant Regional Commander Yao press his palms together and gaze up at the sky, the glint of tears in his eyes: "Bodhisattva be praised, truly Bodhisattva be praised, ah~~ hahahaha."

After laughing, Assistant Regional Commander Yao's expression tightened again, and he held his breath to continue watching the battle unfold. Wu Mu cautiously put some distance between them and let out a cold snort from his nostrils: "Much ado about nothing!"

"Four hundred meters."

"Fire!"

"Fire!"

"Fire!"

The six three-pounder cannons fired one after another. More fragments of shield-carts were flung into the air, drifting down incessantly among the enemy columns.

"Three hundred meters."

"Fire!"

"Fire!"

His hands slapping furiously at the railing, Assistant Regional Commander Yao's face had flushed completely red from holding his breath, and the veins on his forehead were all bulging. Wu Mu watched him with lingering fear, quietly shuffling a small step backward. But this time, Assistant Regional Commander Yao's throat made a gurgling sound, yet not a single word came out. He stared at the bombardment before him, holding his breath as if about to suffocate, but still unable to make a sound. So Assistant Regional Commander Yao swung his arms and began pounding the railing with all his might, making those wooden bars ring like thunder.

"Two hundred and fifty meters."

Upon hearing this count, the Squad Commander of the six-pounder guns gave a slight nod and, without turning his head, called out: "Change ammunition. Load Sweep-Across-a-Thousand-Foes."