Chapter 239: Section Fifty-Four: The Deadline

Previously Deng Ken had recommended canister shot, but during testing its mid-range attack effect was not very satisfactory. Judging from existing technology and the number of straw dummies struck by the pellets, the three-pounder's canister seemed best fired at eighty meters, while the six-pounder should preferably not exceed one hundred meters.

Therefore the medium-range attack weapon finally settled on at Changsheng Island was chain shot rather than canister. Today the power of chain shot not only dealt a tremendous shock to the Later Jin officers and soldiers, but the several men behind Huang Shi were equally stunned by its might. The chain shot's effect on the ice surface even far exceeded Huang Shi's own expectations. In previous tests against straw dummies on Changsheng Island, chain shot could not display this kind of power on solid ground. Gazing at the scenes of carnage in the Later Jin ranks from afar, Huang Shi inwardly regretted that the twelve-pounder could not yet be produced — otherwise the chain shot from a twelve-pounder would surely have an even more devastating impact.

Equally shocked, Wu Mu without a doubt appeared the most composed. After all, he had been on Changsheng Island for so many years, and Eunuch Wu's greatest progress lay in his psychological fortitude. By now, no matter what kind of shock, it was very difficult to make Eunuch Wu lose his composure. Even if Huang Shi suddenly learned to summon meteor magic and displayed it right before Eunuch Wu, he would probably just watch in surprise once, then say without a ripple of emotion: "So Military Commander Huang also has this trick up his sleeve. Well, this servant has learned another move today." And then he would silently record it in his little notebook.

The performance of the other two men beside him fell far short of the calm and collected Eunuch Wu. The red and white before them made Zhao Yin bow's face flush and pale in turn; his hands gripped the railing tightly. Waves of blood and qi surged in his chest. Watching the scene on the battlefield, Assistant Prefect Zhao's stomach kept convulsing. He struggled to swallow back the acid that kept welling up, and to preserve his dignity he had to avoid drawing the attention of others as much as possible, so by now Lord Zhao had already lost the ability to speak.

And Assistant Regional Commander Yao was no better off than Assistant Prefect Zhao. He had long been unable to utter a word, and now his eyes were wide open. His mouth gaped foolishly, all the while making the sound of sucking in cold air. Only after a long while did he squeeze out a sentence of unclear meaning: "A pity... it's just that some heads have been smashed, such a pity."

Huang Shi, standing in the center, watched the progress of the battle with an impassive face. Under the bombardment of the Changsheng Island artillery, the Later Jin army's formation had already begun to break apart. More and more men in the rear were shrinking back from advancing, while at the very front their vanguard line had already closed in on the edge of the wave-shaped outer wall. These enemy troops still refused to abandon their shield carts, but Huang Shi believed that before firearms, most manpowered war carts were utterly useless.

Ever since the Changsheng Island army began firing chain shot, the Later Jin soldiers in the front ranks felt that the blows directed at them seemed to have weakened. Suddenly feeling the pressure ease, their steps toward the front also became lighter at once. The Later Jin soldiers in the front army could not see the ghastly scene behind them, so they quickened their pace with light steps and soon pulled away from the main army.

The field fortifications of Changsheng Island were indeed no match for sturdy castles. In the eyes of these Later Jin soldiers, the defensive system they faced had neither lofty gate towers, nor tall and thick brick walls. How many seemingly impregnable fortresses had stood in their way before — had they not all fallen because of their own valiant assaults?

According to the joint design of Jin Qiude, Deng Ken, and Ouyang Xin, three gaps were opened in each of the three outer low walls. Each gap was situated between two bastions. The passage flanked by the two central bastions was basically perpendicular to the entire central defense line, while the passages on the two flanks formed an angle of roughly forty-five degrees with each defense line, pointing obliquely toward the rear of the Ming army positions on the wings.

These three passages were meant to facilitate the maneuvering of the Changsheng Army, functioning similarly to the gates of a city. Without these passages, if the Changsheng Army needed to switch to a counterattack, they would have to climb over their own fortifications. Huang Shi believed that a defense without means of counterattack was a fragile mode of defense, and also an incomplete defense.

The existence of these passages allowed the defenders to launch swift and fierce counterattacks at any moment, forcing the attackers to take this defensive core seriously and always keep troops on guard against it. Under the threat of such counterattacks, the attackers could neither maneuver freely before the defense line, nor commit all their forces to a focused strike on the flanks. And the existence of the three passages made the defense line advantageous solely to the defender, rather than constraining both sides at once. As for the three passages adopting different radiating angles, this was to further strengthen the defender's advantage in interior-line maneuvering. At the same time, the enemy would also be more willing to charge into the ready-made passages rather than climb over the low walls in thick winter clothing and armor under fire.

From the starting position to the outer low wall, although it was only a short few hundred meters, several rounds of accurate ice-surface bombardment had already dealt considerable blows to the Later Jin army's ranks. At last, the entrance to the outer low wall was right before their eyes. Behind the passage, which was a full several zhang wide, was a city wall that was likewise not very tall, and further behind was a wooden palisade only half a man's height.

Staring at the entrance to the central passage before him, Wu Nege in the front ranks felt his eyes go red. He ordered the horns to be sounded. Almost at the same time, the Manchu horns also sounded one after another. The descendants of Genghis Khan and the Later Jin soldiers no longer hesitated, and with a fierce battle cry they surged toward the Ming army's defense line.

Besides pushing shield carts, groups of infantrymen also carried round shields and entrenching tools. Duo Long'a directed the several bondservants under his command to open a gap in the shield carts, letting a large number of cavalry pour in first, then ordered them to bring their tools and follow him straight toward the Ming army's defense line.

Behind the wooden palisade at the very end of the defense line stood an officer of Changsheng Island. Ever since the entire army was mobilized today, he had been waiting here. The pikemen behind the wooden palisade all stood a step away; only he pressed close to the palisade, so that the arquebusiers on both flanks could clearly see him as a conspicuous target.

This officer's surname was Zhang. Ten years ago he had become a bandit in a place called Nanshan in Shandong, with the nickname Nanshan Bandit back then, and he was close friends with another young and promising bandit, Great King Ma. Eight years ago, the Shandong authorities offered fifty taels of silver each for the heads of this pair of bandits, Zhang Nanshan and Great King Ma, so they were bound up by their subordinates who had resolved to turn over a new leaf and delivered to the officials, and then together they were sent into military exile in Liaodong.

Six years ago when Huang Shi was recruiting troops in Guangning, Great King Ma and Nanshan Bandit were both recruited into Huang Shi's Company Commander unit because they could draw strong bows and ride spirited horses. After the Guangning pacification campaign, Huang Shi made the long-distance expedition to Lüshun, and Great King Ma and Nanshan Bandit were both among them... Great King Ma, who had proclaimed he would be Huang Shi's "vanguard pawn," died in that post-station clash with Kong Youde, while Nanshan Bandit, by the accumulated virtue of his ancestors and under the protection of the gods and Buddhas — well, now under the protection of God — survived well, and even became one of the first batch of trainees in the training corps.

Guangning, Lüshun, Jinzhou, Gaizhou, Nanguan, Fuzhou — Nanshan Bandit took part in every campaign Huang Shi commanded, witnessing his superior's rise step by step. Of the most direct-line background, intelligent, brave, and loyal — what more could a soldier need? Promotions and rewards kept falling upon the former Shandong mounted bandit, and he was now the Company Commander of the Firefighting Battalion's C Unit, and had even changed his name to Zhang Chengye.

Last time, the new recruit Song Army Supervisor had received a Third-Class Distinguished Service Medal, which made all these old subordinates of Huang Shi very envious. Zhang Chengye had also privately inquired of Huang Shi how he could earn a Distinguished Service Medal. At the time, Huang Shi had pondered for a long while and personally told him that it required exceptionally extraordinary bravery — a display that must greatly boost morale and also serve as a long-lasting example to be passed down.

Upon learning that he was to be responsible for the unified command of the defense of the central passage, Zhang Chengye made up his mind: "Today I must perform with both composure and courage, and I must get that medal."

To avoid accidents, he had also arranged for the unit commander of D Unit to prepare to take over command in advance. Now that colleague was standing among the reserves behind the defense line, looking toward Zhang Chengye with a tense expression.

Ahead of the Mongol and Later Jin cavalry charging into the central passage, there was one side of each of the two acute-angled bastions on the left and right. On these two walls and on the base parapet walls of the two acute-angled bastions, the muzzles of arquebuses were densely packed. The soldiers of Changsheng Island stood one by one on wooden tables or stools, bracing their arquebuses on the parapet walls.

From the moment the army chaplains finished the pre-battle mobilization, the five hundred arquebusiers who had mounted the parapet walls to defend had maintained a state of alert. Like the other officers and soldiers of Changsheng Island on the defense line, every one of them held their weapons with high spirits, standing motionless and firmly guarding their respective posts. On the entire defense line, only the sound of uneven, heavy breathing could be heard, along with the occasional low cough that was forcefully suppressed.

After the enemy attack began, Company Commander Zhang had still been pacing leisurely back and forth before the palisade. In his left hand he held a ramrod, and in his right hand he held a pistol with its barrel pointed upward beside his ear. This long-barreled pistol was also a new type of weapon from Changsheng Island, just issued down to the unit commander and vice unit commander level. Seeing the enemy troops enter the central passage, Zhang Chengye planted himself steadily facing straight ahead and bellowed: "Ready."

Over a hundred arquebusiers all entered aiming posture at this command from Zhang Chengye, steadily aiming their arquebuses in the direction of the entrance. These arquebusiers bent slightly forward at the waist one after another, pressing their arquebuses more firmly against their shoulders, while also closing one eye and tilting their heads to aim at the galloping cavalry. After adjusting their postures, not a single one of this group of arquebusiers opened fire. They quietly exhaled puffs of white vapor and just waited in silence like this, watching the enemy in their field of vision grow closer and closer, clearer and clearer.

Before charging into the third low wall, those enemy troops had in large numbers leaned sideways against the bellies of their warhorses. Raising their bows, they vaulted down from the still-galloping horses. These lithe and vigorous shock troops, in a single leap and bound, hid their bodies behind their warhorses and shot a volley of feathered arrows toward the officers and soldiers of Changsheng Island, the entire set of movements executed in one fluid motion.

Watching their supple movements from the command platform, Huang Shi could not help but inwardly exclaim in admiration: "Truly worthy of being a people born on horseback. I have practiced horsemanship for six years and thought myself quite good, but now I realize I am still far behind."

"Kill!"

A thunderclap exploded by his ear — no need to ask, this was another roar let out by Assistant Regional Commander Yao. Huang Shi remained as impassive as ever, while Eunuch Wu gave another cold snort, an even more disdainful expression surfacing on his face. The glance he swept over Assistant Regional Commander Yao seemed as if he were looking at a country bumpkin making a fool of himself in Beijingcheng. Standing to the side, Zhao Yin bow's gaze was like lightning, flashing once over the proud Wu Mu and the embarrassed Yao Yuxian, then quickly returning to the battle situation ahead.

At this moment, Wu Nege and most of the vanguard cavalry had hidden behind their horses. They were still over fifty meters away from most of the arquebusiers. According to their past experience, this was a still relatively safe distance. Moreover, the arquebus pellets would lodge in the horses' bodies, thus becoming harmless to people.

Most of the arrows they shot in a scattered volley struck the low walls. Eighty percent of the arrows that flew over the walls also passed over the heads of the Changsheng Army soldiers. The small portion of arrows that had a chance to hit were dodged by the soldiers tilting their heads aside. The arquebusiers, with only their heads exposed above the wall, all wore low-brimmed helmets and had already lowered their face guards. When facing danger, a soldier only needed to slightly lower his head to block the attack with his helmet, so in the end those arrows that were lucky enough to hit also all ended up in vain.

When a helmet received a strike from an arrow, its owner felt as if someone had merely given him a light push. The arrows were shot in three or four waves in one breath, and the Changsheng Army arquebusiers occasionally made lowering and raising motions with their heads, yet still not a single arquebus fired.

The Later Jin army advanced a stretch forward. After entering the last low wall, they poured over another wave of arrow rain. A few exceptionally bold and brave men even rushed out from behind the horses, and after a burst of speed hurled javelins toward the acute corner of the bastion ten meters away. But the Ming army opposite still showed no reaction to this attack — at most, it just made the waiting arquebusiers behind the parapet wall press a little closer to the wall.

Zhang Chengye was very clear about this trick of the Later Jin army. As early as during training, they had been told repeatedly that the Later Jin army most liked to lure the Ming army into opening fire at long range, then seize the chance to close in and attack. Now the Later Jin army's objective was very obvious: they were trying to charge in one burst to the base of the bastion and attack the Ming army at the wooden palisade. So Zhang Chengye held to the idea of not releasing the hawk until he saw the rabbit, absolutely refusing to carry out inefficient attacks.

Wu Nege, facing the Ming army, was also very anxious in his heart. In past confrontations with the Ming army, he had successfully lured his opponents countless times. Those Ming soldiers had often even fired their three-barreled and seven-barreled guns indiscriminately until the barrels grew hot without hitting many people. These Later Jin officers and soldiers believed they were already very familiar with the Ming army's firearm tactics, but the group before them simply would not open fire no matter what.

If they could not lure the Ming army into shooting wildly, then letting them fire once would also do — charging toward the baseline afterward would perhaps be safer. Wu Nege glanced once more at the palisade ahead. The walls on both sides were densely packed with arquebus muzzles. These dark gun muzzles gave Wu Nege a very bad feeling, a very, very bad feeling.

But he no longer had much time. Although the disorderly four volleys had not taken too much time, the infantry behind had already charged up holding their shields. Wu Nege cast a quick glance backward — the infantry had already crowded behind the cavalry, forming large clumps of human flesh. This meant that the actions of their vanguard cavalry had already fallen far behind schedule.

The descendants of Genghis Khan and their Later Jin brothers edged forward a few more steps. Some of the infantry behind them also anxiously shot crossbow bolts and fire pots toward the parapet wall, but those iron-masked men above still showed no reaction, just quietly watching them... and the arquebuses in their hands also stared at them with dark muzzles.

Wu Nege took one last look at the rear. The passage was already somewhat absurdly crowded. Even the shield carts had been pushed up. Yet the main cavalry force was still gathered at the road entrance, blocking the path of the army's valiant advance.

It was unclear whether this crowding phenomenon had attracted the attention of the artillery crews. The six-pounder crews had already begun adjusting their gun muzzles. They were now so close to the passage that the range-takers no longer needed to call out numbers.

Although Wu Nege did not know what was happening at the gun emplacements, he instinctively sensed danger. Suddenly a voice rang out beside his ear, shouting at him anxiously —

— There is no time.

The brave Wu Nege tugged the reins with his left hand, flipped himself up onto the mount he had been using as cover, and his right hand had already drawn his saber. Following his great roar, countless Mongol riders and Later Jin armored soldiers all vaulted onto their horses with practiced ease...

Watching the enemy troops several dozen meters away leap onto their horses again, Zhang Chengye turned sideways, shifting his body weight onto his left leg, while his right leg took a step forward. His left fist, holding the ramrod, lightly rested on the hilt of his saber to stop it from swinging, and his right arm pointed the signal pistol straight up into the sky...

"Ready!" Zhang Chengye shouted once more.

The wailing of horns and the impassioned battle cries rang out simultaneously. Wu Nege took the lead, guiding the Later Jin army's assault vanguard as they spurred their horses toward the finish line, as if completely oblivious to the threat of the arquebuses on both flanks. From Huang Shi's perspective, before the surging cavalry, on the thin line of the wooden palisade stood a solitary Ming army officer. Before the onrushing enemy troops, he was like a single small pebble blocking the path of a torrent.

These arquebuses still maintained their silence. The Ming soldiers behind them slowly adjusted their bodies, like hunters lying in ambush, slowly turning their gun muzzles to follow the enemy. They stared intently at the cavalry before them, who were shouting and yelling, brandishing sabers and long lances into blurs of light. The Ming soldiers' indifferent gazes were as if they were looking at a group of dead men. The countless arms gripping the arquebuses were like a firing squad on an execution ground, without the slightest tremor.

"Ready —"

When Zhang Chengye drew out the long syllable and shouted this command for the third time, he could no longer hear any other sound in his ears. His eyes could not see the horses galloping swiftly toward him, nor could he see the gleaming saber blades and the menacing long lances pressing close upon him.

His waist lightly pressed against the wooden palisade, his body turned sideways, his right arm leveled and pointed straight ahead, the pistol aimed without a quiver at the enemy commander charging at the very front. Zhang Chengye's posture was both relaxed and effortless. He closed his left eye, his right eye wide open and fixed on that increasingly clear, ferocious face, his chest already filled to the brim with air...