Chapter 411: Standoff

The Qing soldier who had performed the stirrup-hiding trick saw the situation turn against him and spurred his horse into a frantic gallop to one side. At the same time, he pulled the same stunt again, tucking his entire body beneath the horse's belly, trying to escape disaster by using the warhorse as cover.

Ma Xianglin nocked an arrow, exhaled with a shout, drew the longbow to full, and released his fingers. Amid the buzzing vibration of the bowstring, the three-edged arrow flew off with a faint whistling sound, striking the belly of the galloping warhorse in the blink of an eye.

The steel arrowhead pierced through the horse's belly like a sharp knife cutting through tofu. The warhorse let out a mournful neigh and toppled sideways, while the long arrow that had passed through its belly skewered the Qing soldier on the other side straight through the heart.

Within a dozen or so breaths, Ma Xianglin had shot dead three men and one horse. The several dozen Qing scout riders not far away froze in a daze for a moment, then hastily spurred their horses and fled to the rear.

Seeing their commander's godlike display of valor, the White Pole troops in the front ranks erupted in earth-shaking cheers, and the looks they cast at Ma Xianglin, seated on his horse with bow in hand, were filled with reverence and adoration.

The three personal guards beside Ma Xianglin spurred their horses out and led back the two warhorses lingering near their dead master's body. One guard dismounted, severed the three heads, and also recovered the three long arrows Ma Xianglin had shot.

"Night Scouts, do not ride ahead to scout! Lest you fall into the enemy's trap!"

Ma Xianglin slung the longbow diagonally across his back, looked around, and gave the order in a low voice.

The terrain outside Ningyuan was perfectly flat. In clear weather, the view for several li could be taken in at a glance. Even if an enemy cavalry force came charging, the White Pole troops would have ample time to form ranks and meet them.

From atop his horse he could now faintly make out the banners of the Qin army outside the north gate. With just a little over half a shichen of marching remaining, the Sichuan troops would join forces with the Qin army outside the north gate.

The reason the White Pole troops had not left the city through the north gate together with the imperial guard was that Sun Chuanting had considered that once the Qing army saw the sheer size of the government forces, they would not risk launching an active attack, and in that case no effective casualties could be inflicted on the Qing army.

In accordance with Zhu Youjian's wishes, the directive issued by the Ministry of War was to use a nibbling strategy to destroy the Qing army's effective strength—each additional enemy killed weakened them by one measure, allowing the Qing army to feel they had a chance of victory while unknowingly losing large numbers of men and horses.

Because the White Pole troops could shift formations with extreme speed, the two thousand Qing cavalry tasked with harassing and intercepting them, though divided into four squadrons planning to take turns charging and harrying, would often find that before they could even reach the White Pole front lines, a gleaming forest of spear tips was already pointing straight at them.

Against such a tightly defended formation, the Mongol Eight Banner cavalry would absolutely not launch a frontal charge. After testing several times, their horses' stamina was largely spent, and the Qing cavalry could only cease their harassment of the White Pole troops, watching from afar as the White Pole troops joined up with the Qin army outside the north gate.

Around the si hour that afternoon, upon seeing the Qing army shift from offense to defense, the order was immediately given for the Qin army to move camp and advance forward.

The Qin army's four thousand spearmen massed together on the right wing, while the left wing was given to the White Pole troops. Both wings then advanced simultaneously to protect the musketeers and artillery camp moving in the center.

The two thousand cavalry that had been waiting in the trench were assigned to a position on the inner side of the right wing where the spearmen were, serving as mobile forces ready to respond in all directions at any moment.

The Ming forces on both wings advanced until they were three li from the Qing army's main camp before halting. Then, at the command of their respective officers, the spearmen on the right wing turned to face outward and formed two square formations spaced fifty paces apart.

The White Pole troops on the left wing likewise split off four thousand men, facing outward to form two square formations. The difference was that the spear square formations had two thousand cavalry as support, while between the White Pole square formations, two thousand archers and crossbowmen provided coordinated defense.

Abatai had long since ordered all Qing infantry to withdraw into the camp for defense. Though several thousand Qing cavalry remained outside, they dared not charge head-on against such a massive infantry formation.

Light cavalry charging a tightly packed infantry formation with formidable defenses was simply seeking death.

Upon seeing the archers and crossbowmen among the White Pole troops, the Qing cavalry abandoned any notion of riding forward to harass.

According to traditional Mongol cavalry harassment tactics, they needed to charge to within about thirty paces of the Ming formation to shoot with their composite bows. Through such repeated waves of harassment and killing, infantry square formations would basically collapse.

But with archers and crossbowmen present, such tactics were utterly useless.

The range of bows and crossbows far exceeded the killing power of cavalry bows within thirty paces. Before you could even charge into the range of your own bow, you would be shot full of holes by concentrated volleys.

The Ming cavalry on the right wing were concealed inside the spear square formations. If the Qing cavalry came forward to harass and shoot, the Ming cavalry inside would wait until you slowed your horse to shoot, then charge out as you wheeled your mounts to turn back—with a frontal charge coming at your back, would you have any chance of survival?

In cavalry combat, speed was everything. A cavalryman who lost speed could only passively await death.

After the formations were set on both wings, ox- and horse-drawn carts brought in countless logs. Over a thousand laborers from the baggage camp came to the right wing, and after placing many chevaux de frise about sixty paces to the east, they began digging earth and erecting palisades.

Meanwhile, the left wing defended by the White Pole troops was also constructing fortifications at the same time.

All of this was done under the watchful eyes of the Qing cavalry a few li away. When the Qing sent a hundred or so riders to investigate, the palisades had already been raised in considerable number, neatly isolating the Qing cavalry on both sides outside.

Seeing this situation, the Qing cavalry could not be bothered to pay further attention. Most of the riders had already dismounted to rest, drink water, and eat, while also feeding their warhorses to keep their strength up.

As the laborers finished their work and withdrew to the rear camp, twenty Folangji cannons mounted on carts were pushed up from behind.

Unlike the previous time, the Ming army did not construct artillery platforms this time, but merely arranged the gun positions simply—twenty large cannons lined up in a row, all aimed at the Qing camp over two hundred paces away.

By this time, the Qing troops inside the camp had long since finished their preparations. Behind the palisades they had also dug earth to construct several low walls spaced a few paces apart, used to guard against the bombardment from the Ming cannons. Two thousand Qing archers were dispersed behind these several low walls, ready to inflict casualties on any Ming troops who broke into the camp.

The reason the Qing army had such a standardized arrangement for defending against Ming artillery was thanks to the guidance of Shang Kexi, who had already arrived with his troops.

Shang Kexi had learned this after seeing how the Qin army guarding the grain and baggage camp arranged their defenses against cannon fire. Upon arriving with his troops and learning that the Ming artillery opposite was equally formidable, he immediately put his newly acquired knowledge to use, offering up this effective method of defending against cannonballs.

Abatai was extremely satisfied with Shang Kexi's method, and being unaware of the true circumstances, he lavished praise upon Shang Kexi.

With such sturdy fortifications, it was basically impossible for the Ming to break through the main camp.

Abatai had originally assumed that after the two Ming forces joined, they would quickly attack his main camp in order to break through the defensive line as soon as possible and go rescue the baggage camp. But to his surprise, the Ming army did not seem anxious at all. Instead, they openly pitched tents across the way and established a camp, presenting the complete posture of being prepared to grind the Qing army down.

Abatai and Shang Kexi discussed for a long while but could not guess the Ming army's true intentions. In the end, Abatai could only order the entire army to be on alert, with sentries on the palisades and earthen walls keeping close watch on Ming movements to guard against any tricks—the chief concern being a night attack by the Ming.

In early spring, darkness fell early. Around the end of the you hour, night had already descended.

To guard against a Ming sneak attack, the booi bondservants lit a bonfire every fifty paces outside the palisades, and beside each bonfire, one or two carefully selected booi bondservants were assigned to keep watch.

These booi bondservants were all Han Chinese who were daily utterly loyal to the Great Qing and had done well among the bondservants. The Qing army did not worry they would flee in the night, because their wives, children, and elders were all in Jianzhou. In this era that valued blood ties above all, no one would abandon their flesh-and-blood family for their own survival.

To the Qing army's surprise, the Ming camp across the way remained eerily quiet. There was no great clamor of troops moving, nor did any Ming soldiers come to destroy the bonfires outside the camp. From the look of things, the Ming had no intention of launching a night attack.

Around the zi hour of midnight, just as most Qing soldiers had long since fallen asleep and the booi bondservants watching the fires had also begun to feel at ease, thunderous roars shook the heavens. The muzzles of the twenty Folangji cannons belched orange-red flames almost simultaneously, and the iron balls, merging with the darkness of night, flew silently toward the Qing camp.