Chapter 405: Forming Ranks

Just as Yoto was preparing to dispatch a fast rider to the Qing camp outside Ningyuan to inform Abatai to send three thousand Mongol Banners to besiege the Qin army, the heavy gates of Ningyuan's north gate slowly opened, and two thousand cavalry in armor of various colors rode out of the gate tunnel two abreast, then spurred their horses straight ahead.

Next, first a thousand sword-and-shield soldiers in red padded armor filed out in formation, then split into two groups, advancing under the guidance of banners toward the trench two li away, where they spread out in formation on both sides. Then four thousand arquebusiers followed out, forming four square formations amid the sword-and-shield soldiers.

After that, four thousand spearmen exited the city and formed the same formation thirty paces behind the arquebusiers.

The Qing army's so-called trench-digging siege was not done by connecting the trenches into a continuous line, but rather by leaving four passages roughly ten paces wide in the middle—the purpose being to lure the Ming army out of the city to fight them in the open field.

When the Ningyuan city gates opened, among the several bands of Qing roving cavalry wandering over a hundred paces from the passages, riders immediately spurred their horses and galloped toward the main camp five li away.

Among the several hundred Qing cavalry, some rode closer to observe the Ming army's movements, some sat in circles resting and chatting without a care, and a few chased and horsed around—none of them taking the Ming troops filing out of the city seriously.

As the main body of Ming troops successively exited the city and formed ranks, the Qing camp sounded a clarion horn call. Before long, amid a muffled thunder-like rumble in the distance, great clouds of dust rose, and six thousand Mongol Banners cavalry came galloping with an aura that seemed capable of swallowing everything.

The six thousand Mongol cavalry surged forth like a flood, splitting into two large groups three li from the trench to shield both flanks, leaving only a wide open expanse in the center.

Before long, amid a sky full of fluttering banners, Beile Abatai, clad in black lamellar armor, rode out of the main camp escorted by over a hundred bayara guards. Apart from three niru of Qing troops left to guard the camp and its baggage, twelve full-strength niru—three thousand six hundred men of the Bordered Blue Banner in total—formed up and marched out of camp toward the Ming troops emerging from the city.

Just as the main body of Qing infantry was leaving camp, the Ming army's several square formations finished assembling. Then two thousand civilian laborers surged out of the city, each under their own squad leaders, carrying iron shovels, hoes, baskets, hemp sacks, and various other tools to the trench, where they began digging earth.

Over a hundred Qing scout riders saw this and galloped over to investigate. The front-rank arquebusiers of the Ming army's four square formations raised their guns forward at the Battalion Commander's loud command. Facing a long row of dark, gleaming gun muzzles, the Qing scouts felt their hearts tighten, and without figuring out why the laborers were digging, they could only turn their horses and withdraw to over a hundred paces away.

In less than a quarter of an hour, under the watchful eyes of the Qing cavalry, over twenty wide platforms—half a man tall, over a zhang long and wide, with long sloping ramps at the rear—were built along the trench, and the baggage camp's laborers promptly withdrew to the rear.

Immediately after, twenty oxcarts dragging two-wheeled gun carriages slowly rolled out of the gate tunnel. On the carriages were twenty five-hundred-jin Folangji cannons. The platforms the laborers had built were gun emplacements prepared for these killing instruments.

By the time the three thousand-plus Qing troops reached the central battlefield, the Ming army's twenty Folangji cannons were essentially fully mounted.

"Regional Commander, the battle formations are all prepared. Please give the order, Regional Commander!"

Atop the north gate tower of Ningyuan, Zhou Yuji, Regional Commander of the Qin army, clad in lamellar armor, cupped his fists and reported loudly to Sun Chuanting.

"Good! I shall watch from the city wall how General Zhou breaks the enemy! Go!"

Sun Chuanting, in a bright red official robe, stood with hands clasped behind his back, his piercing eyes gazing into the distance at the Qing formation as he gave the order in a deep voice.

"Your subordinate will not disappoint the Regional Commander's expectations! I swear to defeat the Jianzhou barbarians at Ningyuan!"

Zhou Yuji cupped his fists once more in salute and replied loudly, then turned and descended from the city wall with his personal guards, mounted his horse, and galloped out through the gate tunnel, dozens of personal guards spurring their horses close behind.

Zhou Yuji reined in his horse before the tallest platform, dismounted, and climbed the slope to the top, with several order-communicating guards following up.

Once atop the platform, Zhou Yuji—who had already observed the Qing formation from the city wall—casually gave an order. One of his guards raised a yellow triangular flag and waved it left and right. Behind him, several hundred laborers from the baggage camp carried chevaux de frise and ran toward the passages on both sides, crossing the trench quickly and dashing toward the flanks.

A short horn call sounded. The Qing cavalry about three li away each dispatched a two-hundred-man squad, riding to meet the laborers carrying the chevaux de frise, intending to kill all these audacious nikan on the spot.

Seeing the Qing warhorses charging at increasing speed, the laborers panicked into chaos. Had the squad leaders not shouted curses at them, many would have dropped the chevaux de frise and fled.

At that moment, several thunderclaps exploded in the sky. Four red barbarian cannons weighing several thousand jin on the city wall fired in succession. Five-jin cannonballs screamed forth, tracing several beautiful arcs through the sky before smashing down onto the path of the Qing cavalry charging toward the laborers.

The first two cannonballs did not directly strike the enemy riders, but upon landing, they suddenly bounced up and hurtled toward the accelerating Qing cavalry.

A Mongol cavalryman at the very front was struck directly by a cannonball that rebounded instantly upon landing. His upper body was smashed to pulp, while his warhorse continued galloping forward.

The cannonball that pierced his body did not slow down but continued charging forward, carving a long bloody furrow through the Qing cavalry like a plowshare turning the earth.

Along the cannonball's path, five or six Qing soldiers were either smashed to death outright, or their mounts were hit and pitched forward, whereupon they were trampled into pulp by the warhorses behind that could not dodge in time.

The four cannonballs that flew in succession caused over twenty Qing casualties in total. The fallen horses also caused considerable chaos in the Qing cavalry ranks, forcing riders in the rear to haul on their reins and leap their mounts aside, while the speed of the cavalry on both flanks slowed considerably.

The continuous thunder of cannon fire was like an injection of stimulant to the laborers. Those who had been scared out of their wits suddenly found their courage bolstered, involuntarily quickening their steps forward, then casually tossing down the chevaux de frise before sprinting back under the shouts of their squad leaders.

Over two hundred haphazardly piled chevaux de frise formed a large obstacle zone. After a brief moment of confusion, the Qing cavalry accelerated and charged again, but seeing an impassable wall of obstacles blocking their way, they could only watch helplessly as the sheep-like crowd of laborers ran back within the trench over a hundred paces away.

Though the mass of chevaux de frise was arranged less than perfectly, it could still barely serve to screen the Ming army's flanks. Zhou Yuji then issued further orders.

A crimson banner waved left and right several times. The four spear square formations each moved toward the outermost passages on both sides, passed through them, advanced along the flanks, and finally formed two large square formations behind the chevaux de frise.

Next, the arquebusier square formations—the main attacking force—filed out through the two central passages, advanced over two hundred paces, and halted, converging into two large formations spaced ten paces apart, each with four hundred men per row and five rows in total.

The Ming army's two thousand cavalry and one thousand sword-and-shield soldiers remained in place on standby, ready to act at any moment.

The two thousand cavalry had been formed by Sun Chuanting after arriving beyond the pass, by consolidating the Guan-Ning cavalry from the fort-towns around Ningyuan. Because their numbers were far fewer than the Qing cavalry, they could only await their opportunity in relatively safer areas.

According to prior consultation, the Ming army exited the city and formed ranks in a defensive posture, waiting for the Qing army's major assault.

This arrangement was not because the Qin army lacked courage, but rather a tactic Sun Chuanting adopted to exploit the widespread contempt for the enemy among Qing officers and men, and to maximize the power of the Folangji cannons.

The Folangji cannons, with an effective range of about four hundred paces, would be the decisive factor determining the course of this battle.

Luring the enemy to attack would inflict heavy casualties on the Qing army while drawing all their attention, which would make Chen Qiyu's surprise attack even more certain of success.

"Asibao, you take five niru and prepare the center. Kuleca, you take five hundred archers and five hundred infantry to the right flank. Transfer one thousand of the aha from the rear—you command the archers to cover them in clearing the chevaux de frise. After that, Gerileng leads one thousand cavalry in the charge, with infantry following up to assault! Today we will surely teach these Ming men a lesson about the might of our Eight Banners!"

Abatai, having finished observing the battle from horseback, issued the order in a loud voice.