Chapter 41: The Great Battle 5

Gao Yingxiang and the others watched the scene before them; all the bandit chieftains fell silent.

As the routed archers returned to the front of the formation, Zhang Xianzhong coughed to break the silence.

He spoke: "Dashing King, the government troops' arrows are formidable. With just a few hundred archers, they cut down several hundred of our brothers in an instant! Who knows how many more archers they have—this battle will be hard. What should we do now?"

Guotianxing, who had already fled back, spoke with lingering fear: "Dashing King, if we send infantry to charge again, after a few volleys from Lu the Butcher, our lads won't hold! We only had so many archers to begin with, and now we've lost more than half in one go!"

Gao Yingxiang pondered for a moment, then spoke: "So a few hundred men died? What war doesn't see deaths? Weren't we all crawled out of piles of corpses? Old Han, go settle the brothers who ran back. Yidougu, go collect shields—the more the better. If shields aren't enough, send men back to camp to find wooden boards. Arrows can't pierce wood no matter how fierce. Once we've gathered enough shields, pick the bravest from our lads! Each man in the front gets ten taels of silver, and twenty taels for every government soldier killed. I don't believe tens of thousands can't beat a few thousand! Go now!"

Huang Long led his personal guards toward the rear, while Gao Yingxiang's younger brother Gao Ying'en led several commanders in directing the arriving Dashing King's camp infantry to form up.

The other chieftains of various sized bandit groups each went to rally their own men and relay the Dashing King's bounty offer.

Among the tens of thousands of bandits there was no shortage of fierce and daring men; spurred by the silver reward, many desperadoes eagerly volunteered. In the end, more than four thousand bandits were selected to serve as death-defying vanguard troops, ready to charge the formation.

About half an hour later, Huang Long returned from the main camp with several dozen wheelbarrows. Each cart was loaded with all kinds of shields—iron shields, leather shields, wooden shields, and even pot lids from large cooking cauldrons—totaling more than two thousand in all.

After another round of selection, the most ferocious two thousand-plus bandits were chosen as shield-bearing vanguard and placed at the very front of the formation.

Many bandits held a shield in one hand and a motley assortment of short weapons in the other, bare-chested, shouting and yelling, eager to try their luck.

Seeing this, Gao Yingxiang's bold spirit surged, and he laughed: "This time we'll surely make Lu the Butcher suffer a great loss! Lads, forward!"

At the command, the shield-bearing bandits led the way, the rest of the bandits followed close behind, the Dashing King's camp veterans came next, and the remaining bandit groups lagged several dozen paces at the rear. A boundless tide of humanity surged toward the government camp.

Except for the five hundred-plus cavalry maintaining vigilance, the government cavalry had long since dismounted to rest and feed their horses, so as to preserve the warhorses' stamina.

The infantry also sat down on the spot to rest and await orders. When they saw the bandits assembling into formation, at Yang Maogong's command the infantry rose and arranged themselves into square formations, archers still in front, while the cavalry mounted up and formed into arrowhead formations ready to charge.

Lu Xiangsheng led Wu Dading to the cavalry column on one side, taking the lead position at the very front, ready to serve as the arrowhead and lead the charge.

The bandits began to jog when they were about two hundred paces from the government troops, who remained unmoved.

As the distance grew shorter, the bandits in front began to accelerate into a run. At about one hundred paces, a short blast of the trumpet sounded, and one thousand government archers drew their bows, arrows angled toward the front.

The shield-bearing bandits howled as they sprinted forward at high speed. Another trumpet blast, and a ripple of bowstrings sounded—one thousand standard-issue triangular-headed arrows flew into the sky, in the blink of an eye reaching above the bandits' heads, then instantly turned and plunged toward the crowd below.

Among the bandits someone shouted hoarsely at the top of his lungs: "Raise shields! Raise shields!" The bandits in the front ranks hurriedly raised their various shields to cover their heads, slowing their pace slightly. A series of crackling sounds rang out—most arrows landed on the shields, and only a few slipped through gaps in the shields to strike the bandits.

After the government archers had loosed five volleys in unison, the bandits had already charged to within fifty paces. At the sound of the trumpet, the archers split into two groups and retreated to the flanks, while sword-and-shield men moved forward to cover them. Three thousand spearmen formed into three ranks, holding their spears over a zhang in length, and advanced in step to meet the enemy.

Under the impact of the five volleys, several hundred bandits lay dead or wounded.

Seeing the government archers withdraw, the bandits felt the greatest threat had been eliminated and hurriedly held their shields before them, charging desperately at the government troops.

The government spearmen advanced a few steps then halted. The front rank leveled their spears, and the second rank thrust their spears through the gaps between the first rank—the entire formation resembled a hedgehog covered in spines, gleaming sharp spearheads glinting coldly.

In an instant, the bandits were upon them. The government troops shouted in unison: "Guard!" and thrust their spears forward.

The force of the spears thrusting forward combined with the momentum of the bandits crashing in—immediately a chorus of miserable screams rang across the entire battlefield.

The shield-bearing bandits all carried short blades and were struck by spears while still several meters from the government troops. The sharp spearheads could pierce even leather armor and chain mail, let alone these roving bandits, most of whom lacked even cotton armor.

Some bandits reacted extremely quickly, parrying spears aside with their shields while leaping forward, trying to close into melee range. But the second rank's spears thrust forward right behind, and they were ultimately struck down.

After one round of spear thrusts, nearly the entire front rank of bandits had fallen—some struck in the belly, some in the neck, some in the face, some in the thigh—almost all hit in vital spots.

The spearmen withdrew their thrust spears and returned to their ready stance.

The bandits behind continued to crash forward, and many experienced old bandits reacted swiftly, hurling their short axes and knives viciously at the government troops.

Because the formation was so dense, the short blades thrown by the bandits found their marks one after another. Amid cries of agony, several hundred government soldiers fell dead or wounded, and the gaps they left were quickly filled by the ranks behind.

The government spearmen thrust their spears savagely at the weaponless bandits before them.

After several rounds of thrusting, the two thousand-plus shield-bearing bandits had been reduced to almost nothing, and the other two thousand-plus fierce bandits had halted their charge.

This was no longer a battle—it was a slaughter.

Their own weapons couldn't even reach the enemy, while the enemy could kill them at leisure. Looking at the corpses strewn across the ground and hearing the screams of the wounded survivors, many bandits, seized by panic, began to flee to the rear or to the sides.

The government spearmen shouted in unison once more: "Guard!" and with the shout, took a single orderly step forward, blood-dripping spearheads densely pointed at the bandits.

Many bandits who were still hesitating finally broke, and with a wild shout turned and ran. The several thousand infantry of Gao Yingxiang's old camp behind had also halted, and the fleeing bandits crashed straight into them, instantly throwing their formation into chaos.

Because the bandits in front blocked their view, these bandits didn't know what was happening ahead. In the confusion, some began to flee rearward with the routed bandits—a full-scale collapse seemed imminent.

At the sound of a signal cannon, Lu Xiangsheng spurred his horse's flanks, raised his great blade, and his warhorse began to gallop forward. The Liaodong cavalry behind him and on the other flank also urged their horses forward, ready to seize the moment to cut down the fleeing troops.

Horns sounded from the bandit camp, and the Dashing King's camp cavalry on both flanks stirred, riding out to meet the government cavalry.

The two cavalry forces were several hundred paces apart—by the time their horses reached full speed, they would collide head-on. So before the government cavalry could charge into the bandit infantry, the two cavalry forces crashed into each other head-on.

Lu Xiangsheng released the reins, gripped his blade with both hands, and swept it horizontally—the head of a bandit rider before him, who had raised his wolf-tooth mace to strike, was sliced clean off.

Lu Xiangsheng then raised his blade and chopped downward—with a scream, a bandit rider's arm was hacked off.

In the blink of an eye the two horses passed each other, and Wu Dading's saber took that bandit's head. A great spurt of blood sprayed into the sky as the bandit's body toppled from the horse.

Lu Xiangsheng's warhorse surged forward, his great blade swinging without cease, while Wu Dading and the other personal guards lagged half a horse-length behind, guarding his flanks, their weapons parrying and chopping without pause.

Within a few dozen breaths, the two cavalry forces had charged through each other, leaving behind a field of corpses and many riderless warhorses.

In this cavalry clash, Lu Xiangsheng's side had over eight hundred riders and suffered over one hundred casualties; the Dashing King's camp cavalry suffered over four hundred casualties, and the other flank was much the same.

The government cavalry could no longer spare attention to chase down the routed bandit infantry. With a large enemy cavalry force still present, pursuing infantry would mean scattering their formation—that would be pure suicide.

Lu Xiangsheng gathered his cavalry, wanting to charge again, but the Liaodong Mobile Corps Commander Zu Qianjun refused. He shouted loudly: "Regional Commander! We can't charge again! These foes are tough—our brothers have taken too many losses. If my general returns and I can't account for this, I'll have no way to explain myself!" The other Liaodong cavalrymen also shouted in agreement.

Lu Xiangsheng was furious inwardly, but he knew the Liaodong cavalry had always been like this—they cared nothing for military orders. If he insisted on fighting on, these fellows might well stab him in the back.

Seeing the Dashing King's camp cavalry wheeling around in a wide circle in the distance and halting to rest their horses before charging again, Lu Xiangsheng had no choice but to order a return to camp. The government infantry withdrew slowly toward camp under the cavalry's cover, while the archers and sword-and-shield men carried back the dead and wounded and led back some of the riderless warhorses.

Because the government formation remained orderly, the Dashing King's camp showed no intention of pursuing and allowed the government troops to return to camp. What depressed Lu Xiangsheng even more was that the promised multi-pronged pincer attack never materialized—Zu Kuan and Li Chongjin, who had circled around to the bandits' flanks and rear, had made not a single move.

Back at camp, Lu Xiangsheng changed out of his blood-stained armor, wiped the blood from his face with a simple cloth, and despite his weariness changed into a plain blue robe and went to the wounded soldiers' camp.

This time the spearmen had suffered over one hundred and twenty dead and over three hundred wounded. The dead had all been struck in vital spots like the face and neck by the axes and knives the bandits had thrown, while the wounded had taken cuts to the chest, abdomen, and arms.

In the wounded soldiers' camp, several army physicians were busy at work. Herbal medicines boiled in several pots, and many soldiers helped tend the wounded under the physicians' direction. The camp was filled with endless groans and screams.

After comforting several wounded men, Lu Xiangsheng left the camp and returned to the main tent. He sat down behind the large table, and Lu Xiangtong strode in, saying loudly: "Elder Brother, these Liaodong barbarians actually disobey orders! Do they have any regard for the imperial court! Elder Brother, didn't His Majesty give you the imperial sword? Just chop off that ringleader's head and see who dares disobey orders after that!"

Lu Xiangsheng shot him a glare and barked: "Shut up! What do you know? This is a military camp—don't speak recklessly!" Lu Xiangtong turned his head away in defiance and snorted through his nose.

Lu Xiangsheng rose and walked slowly to his side, hands clasped behind his back, looking at him. He spoke: "Third Brother, the bandits are powerful. You saw it just now—if this battle had been fought by my Tianxiong Army alone, the outcome would have been uncertain. Even if we won, it would have been a pyrrhic victory, with no strength left to pursue. Because we are all infantry, while the Dashing bandits have elite cavalry, we must still rely on the Liaodong guest troops. Since the Wanli Emperor's time, the court has spent incalculable silver in Liaodong. The relationships among the Liaodong generals are deeply intertwined, and they have grown too powerful to control—His Majesty and the senior ministers at court know this full well. But with chaos erupting across the realm, the Great Ming still needs a relatively stable Liaodong to resist the Jianzhou Jurchen, so that we can exterminate the bandits. After all, the roving bandits are the true mortal threat to our Great Ming!"

Lu Xiangsheng let out a long sigh. Years of campaigning had left him deeply weary at heart; sometimes he truly wished to resign and return home. But His Majesty had shown him such favor that he could not bear to abandon him. What was the original purpose of his studies? To cultivate oneself, regulate one's family, govern the state, and bring peace to all under heaven!

At this thought, his spirits suddenly lifted, and he spoke with firm resolve: "Third Brother, after this battle, the Dashing bandit and the Offering bandit should retreat. Once Zu and Li return with their forces, we will head to Ruzhou. Now, immediately send out scouts to search for news of the cavalry under Zu and Li, and report to me at once. Go!" Though Lu Xiangtong's gloom had not yet dissipated, he still accepted the order and left. Before long, the sound of hoofbeats rang out as the Night Scouts rode out of camp.

After the government troops withdrew to their main camp, Gao Yingxiang ordered the soldiers who had not participated in the battle to clean up the battlefield, tend to the wounded, and bury the fallen.

He sat on his horse, gazing at the distant camp of the government troops, silent for a long time.

Zhang Xianzhong rode up to him and said, "The Dashing King's cavalry truly lives up to its reputation! Daring to clash head-on with those Liaodong barbarians this time—old Zhang here admires that!"

Gao Yingxiang snapped back to his senses, forced a smile, and said, "Those are the very apple of my eye! This time I lost six or seven hundred riders, but we also gauged the mettle of the government troops—those Liaodong barbarians are tough indeed! Brother Zhang, what do you think we should do next?"

Zhang Xianzhong hesitated for a moment, then smiled: "The Dashing King surely has a plan in mind. Old Zhang will follow your orders!"

Gao Yingxiang pondered for a while, then said: "The scouts just reported to me that government cavalry have appeared on our left, right, and rear. Lu the King of Hell intends to defeat us head-on, then chase our routed troops into our main formation, and surround us from all sides. If that truly happens—our men not knowing how many government troops have actually come, having lost the frontal battle, and then being charged from four directions—we would surely suffer a disastrous defeat! It's possible that many among us would end up buried right here!"

Zhang Xianzhong was startled and hastily asked: "Then why did only the government troops to our front try to charge our formation? The others made no move at all?"

"Hahaha! I, Gao Yingxiang, have fought for so many years—I'm no pushover! I had already prepared a countermeasure against Lu the King of Hell! Though I only brought three thousand cavalry to the front of the formation, the ten thousand-plus riders in my main camp were also split into three groups and sent out. The government troops must have seen that each of my groups outnumbered theirs, so they didn't dare make a move. Otherwise, we would have suffered a great loss today!"

When Zhang Xianzhong and the other chieftains heard this, they were both astonished and admiring, and everyone burst into loud praise.

"The Dashing King is truly brilliant—no wonder his surname is Gao (tall/high)!"

"If not for the Dashing King's move, we might well have died here today!"

"I was just saying the government cavalry numbers seemed off—turns out they were planning to ambush us!"

"The Dashing King is truly the number one figure among all the righteous armies under heaven! Old Luo here admires you!"

Zhang Xianzhong also raised his thumb and praised: "The Dashing King plans far ahead—old Zhang admires you! Admires you!"

Seeing this scene, the gloom brought on by the earlier defeat was swept clean from Gao Yingxiang's heart.

He laughed heartily: "Haha, thank you all, brothers, for your praise! After this battle, I'm certain the government troops won't dare pursue us. However, we won't attack Ruyang city either—after all, the government troops are nearby. I've just been thinking: we'll take Zhengyang and head toward Xincai. There's no main force of government troops there. We'll find a place to rest and drill our troops. Once we're rested, we'll strike east—the prefectures and counties to the east are far wealthier than this godforsaken Henan! When we break into those cities, silver to spend as we please, women to enjoy as we please! And if we get really carried away, we might even march all the way to Nanjing! Hahaha!" The crowd of bandit chieftains roared with delight, noisily crowding around Gao Yingxiang as they headed toward the bandit camp.

In the government camp, inside Lu Xiangsheng's main tent, Zu Kuan and Li Chongjin, who had already returned, were reporting the full account of events to him.

After each of them had led their forces on circuitous flanking routes, they should have waited for the signal before attacking together. But before they could even find a place to rest and wait, large contingents of the roving bandits' cavalry appeared near each of them.

The bandits in every direction outnumbered them several times over. If they had fought head-on at that point, and the bandits' infantry in the same direction had rushed over upon hearing the news, things would have become very troublesome.

So Zu, Li, and the general in the other direction all chose, without prior agreement, to disengage from the battlefield and circle around a long way back to camp.

After hearing the full account, Lu Xiangsheng affirmed their decision. He knew that if it had been himself, he would have made the same choice in such a situation. After all, this was not meant to be a decisive battle with the roving bandits—without certainty of victory, preserving one's strength was the wisest course.

Then, after discussing the matter among themselves, they felt that the government troops urgently needed rest. Lu Xiangsheng decided to follow the original plan and lead the troops to Ruzhou to replenish provisions, soldiers, and weapons, and to report to the court the details of the two engagements with Gao Yingxiang along with the list of meritorious personnel.

Lu Xiangsheng left behind Lu Xiangtong and fifty Night Scouts to monitor and investigate the movements of the roving bandits and report back promptly, so as to keep track of the next objective of this bandit force—a festering threat to the court.

After the discussion concluded, each person led their troops back to camp to rest. The Night Scouts reported that the bandits had struck camp and left Ruyang, heading south. Lu Xiangsheng sent someone to inform Ruyang County, then led the main force toward Ruzhou in the northwest.

A few days later, Lu Xiangsheng led the Tianxiong Army and the Guanning cavalry to the outskirts of Ruzhou Prefecture city. The various officials of the prefecture, who had been waiting for some time, came forward to greet them, led by Prefect Liu Cunhui.

After dismounting, Lu Xiangsheng exchanged greetings and pleasantries with the assembled officials, then entered the city to discuss follow-up matters regarding the arrival of the government troops. Meanwhile, Adjutant Yang Maogong led the troops to set up camp outside the south gate.

The six thousand-plus Sichuan troops previously stationed at Fancheng had already received orders from the Ministry of War and been placed under Lu Xiangsheng's command. Vice Regional Commander Qin Yiming of the Sichuan troops had already set up camp outside the east gate with his men.

After Lu Xiangsheng finished his deliberations at the Prefect's office and returned to the camp that had been set up, Qin Yiming came with Mobile Corps Commander Gao Qixun and a group of Battalion Commanders to pay their respects.

Liu Cunhui, the Prefect of Ruzhou, earnestly tried to persuade Lu Xiangsheng to stay in the city for the night. After all, he was the Commander-General of five provinces—a man of great rank and power, and a favored minister deeply beloved by His Majesty. Moreover, in these troubled times, with a powerful army under his command, Liu Cunhui naturally wanted to curry favor with him.

But Lu Xiangsheng, citing that he had long been accustomed to living in military camps, politely declined his kindness and returned to the camp.

At this time, in his main tent, besides Yang Maogong of the Tianxiong Army, Zu Kuan, Li Chongjin, and Qin Yiming, there were also several unfamiliar faces who had come from the capital.

Seeing Lu Xiangsheng enter the main tent, the strangers stepped forward to pay their respects. A young Centurion dressed in the uniform of the Embroidered Uniform Guard pulled an official document and seal from his bosom and presented it with both hands.

After verifying that it was authentic, Lu Xiangsheng smiled and said: "I apologize for making you, honored envoy, wait for so many days! Earlier, when we learned that the Dashing bandit had besieged Ruyang, I led the troops to lift the siege and fought two fierce battles with the Dashing bandit. The bandit has retreated, but our provisions are exhausted. Knowing that you, honored envoy, had been in Ruzhou for some time, I returned to Ruzhou to rest and regroup. I hope you will forgive the delay!"

Lu Xiangsheng sat down behind the large desk. The young Centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard stepped forward, bowed, and said in a loud voice: "Governor-General Lu, your wholehearted devotion to pacifying the bandits for the state fills us with admiration! I am Zhang Jin, a Centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I have long heard of your great name, Governor-General Lu, and I am deeply honored to meet you today! Before I set out, I was granted an audience with His Majesty. His Majesty specifically instructed me to tell you, Governor-General, to take care of yourself, and to come to the capital for an audience once all matters are properly arranged! His Majesty said that he has greatly missed you since meeting you several years ago, and that he has unconditional trust in you! I do not fully understand the meaning of this, but I am merely relaying the message!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiangsheng suddenly rose to his feet, his eyes reddening and filling with tears. He clasped his hands in salute toward the direction of the capital, choked up for a moment, and said: "What virtue or ability does this humble minister possess, to merit His Majesty's concern! His Majesty's words move me to tears of gratitude. Even if this humble minister were to sacrifice this body of his, he could never repay His Majesty's grace in recognizing and promoting him!"

After Lu Xiangsheng's emotions had calmed somewhat, Zhang Jin pulled a letter from his bosom and handed it over.

He said: "His Majesty has a secret letter for you, Governor-General Lu. Besides escorting the military pay and provisions, His Majesty also sent a team of craftsmen to accompany me here. His Majesty said all the details are explained in the letter. Please examine it, Governor-General Lu!"

Lu Xiangsheng hastily rose and received the letter with both hands. The familiar handwriting on the envelope caught his eye: "For the personal attention of Jiutai." He quickly opened the envelope and began to read.

In the letter, Chongzhen once again stated clearly that eradicating the roving bandits would take time. Suppression was one aspect, but what mattered most was stabilizing the common people who had been displaced by natural disasters and man-made calamities. As long as the people had food to eat, they would not follow the bandits in rebellion, thereby reducing the bandits' source of recruits. If one only focused on suppression without ensuring the people had enough to eat, in the end one would waste money and grain, and the more one suppressed, the more bandits there would be.

Sun Chuanting, the Governor of Shaanxi, had already achieved initial results in military farmland and settling the people. Once next year's summer harvest was bountiful, he would continue to expand the area of military farmland, striving to fundamentally curb the growing momentum of the roving bandits.

He required Lu Xiangsheng to also develop military farmland and train troops in Ruzhou. The court would find ways to solve the needed funds, grain, and materials. The eradication of the roving bandits must be treated as a protracted war—one should not seek quick results or hope to pacify the realm in one breath. The craftsmen sent this time were a well-digging team, used to address the current large-scale drought problem.

After reading the letter, Lu Xiangsheng was overjoyed. The long-standing anxiety that had weighed on his heart suddenly lifted, and his unease about the situation and confusion about the future vanished in an instant. He seemed to have grown ten years younger.

Suppressing the urge to burst out laughing, he said to Zhang Jin with a smile: "Does His Majesty have any other instructions for this humble minister?"

Zhang Jin clasped his hands and said: "His Majesty also said that a new batch of weapons would be delivered soon, and that a dedicated logistics camp would be sent to you, Governor-General. My duty this time is to verify troop numbers, distribute pay, and send the remains of fallen officers and soldiers—along with the burial money—back to their hometowns. Any current officers and soldiers who wish to have their pay sent home may also be handled through me. Please arrange for personnel to assist me in these matters, Governor-General!"

Lu Xiangsheng beamed with joy and immediately arranged for Yang Maogong to take Zhang Jin and the others down to the camp to handle official business. The pay for the Liaodong troops and the Sichuan troops was also included in this distribution. Everyone happily returned to their camps to wait, while Lu Xiangsheng immediately mounted his horse and, with his personal guards, rode once more into Ruzhou city to discuss military farmland matters with Prefect Liu Cunhui.