Chapter 432: The Monster That Appeared Without Warning

Just as the Ming and Qing armies were locked in a fierce assault-and-defense battle, an unexpected clash was also unfolding to the east, about five li from the battlefield.

When Yoto and the others led the main force to engage the Ming relief troops, they deliberately left the Han Army Banners behind at the main camp, tasking them with watching over the Ming army's baggage camp to guard against any unforeseen developments.

The reason for leaving the Han Army Banners behind was simple: they mainly considered that remnants of the Ming forces had fled into the baggage camp, and since the Han Army Banners excelled at defense rather than offense, leaving them behind meant they could guard the camp's grain and supplies while preventing the Ming army from taking any extreme action.

Although Kong Youde and the others had surrendered several years earlier, and under the dual effects of the Eight Banners' strict military discipline and merit system, the fighting capability of their soldiers had greatly improved, in the eyes of the Eight Banners from top to bottom, they were still trash barely distinguishable from the Ming troops of the western Liao region.

Kong Youde and the others naturally had no objection to this whatsoever.

Since the proud lords of the Eight Banners looked down on their fighting ability, they were all too happy to suffer fewer casualties.

After the Eight Banners' main army struck camp and departed, Kong Youde conferred with Shang Kexi and Geng Zhongming and decided to split the remaining ten-thousand-plus Han Army Banner troops into three groups. Kong Youde would lead three thousand men forward to shift camp to the north gate of the Ming baggage camp, putting on an offensive posture to intimidate the Ming troops within.

Shang Kexi would lead three thousand men to shift camp to the west gate, preventing the Ming army from fleeing west or from coming out and cutting off the Qing army's left wing from the rear.

The remaining troops would be led by Geng Zhongming to guard the main camp, especially watching the north side, lest Ming troops emerging from who-knows-where strike the rear camp.

The burning of Abatai's camp grain a few days earlier had already put everyone on high alert.

If someone pulled the same trick again just a few days later, then no matter who the commanding general was, heads would surely roll in the end.

After Kong Youde moved his troops forward, the scouts who had been trying to probe the Ming camp's situation came back to report that the Ming army had stationed numerous crossbowmen behind the palisade. Their own scouts simply could not get close and could only peer through the palisade from a distance.

But the rows of wooden buildings behind the palisade blocked the view, making it impossible to see what the Ming troops inside were doing.

Kong Youde had originally thought of seizing the opportunity to take this camp, so as to present his masters with a great gift, but after hearing the scouts' report, he ordered his trusted subordinates to lead a thousand soldiers forward to first test the Ming army's reaction.

But before that thousand could even approach the palisade, the large Folangji cannons on the two artillery platforms inside the Ming camp fired one after another.

Although those two towering artillery platforms had been spotted long before, so the thousand men were not in a tight formation, the two rounds of cannon fire still caused over a dozen casualties.

The cannons mounted on those two platforms were large Folangji cannons weighing over a thousand jin, with a much longer range than the five-hundred-jin medium Folangji cannons, and naturally their killing power was far greater as well.

Seeing this, Kong Youde had no choice but to order that thousand men to withdraw.

It wasn't that he begrudged the dozen or so casualties—as someone intimately familiar with cannon performance, he knew full well that even if he sent the booi bondservants forward to tear down the palisade, once they charged into the camp, they would suffer a devastating blow from those two large cannons.

Because at close range, the grapeshot fired by the Folangji cannons would produce terrifying destructive effects, and combined with the attacks of the Ming troops' muskets and bows, his meager forces truly would not be enough.

Shang Kexi, who had arrayed his troops in formation two li outside the west gate, took no reckless action.

A few li behind his troops lay the main army of the Two White Banners, while several thousand Mongol Eight Banner cavalry were resting in place a few li to his south. As long as he blocked the Ming troops in the camp across from him and shielded the rear of the Two White Banners, all would be well.

With the formidable Eight Banners army at their backs, his soldiers felt an immense sense of security and were all utterly at ease.

Apart from a small number of scouts riding back and forth to observe the Ming camp's movements, most of the soldiers sat or stood with their backs to the Ming camp, pointing and chatting about the two sides already locked in battle in the distance, completely unconcerned about any danger that might arise behind them.

So when the Ming army suddenly threw open the camp gates and charged out, Shang Kexi's three thousand men immediately fell into utter chaos. The scouts responsible for vigilance dared not advance to meet the enemy and could only wheel their horses around and retreat, first getting out of range of the Ming army's bows.

Shang Kexi, greatly alarmed, shouted out a stream of orders, and the soldiers hastily scrambled to their feet and formed up under the curses of their officers.

Fortunately, there was a distance of two li between the two armies, and the Ming troops emerging from camp could not reach them in an instant. After a bout of confusion, Shang Kexi's troops finally managed to form their battle line.

At the same time, the Ming troops who had left camp finished forming their own line after advancing two hundred paces ahead. The formation was again a square with musketeers in the center and spearmen shielding both flanks, while several hundred archers formed a smaller square on the right side of the column.

Zhang Yuan, Vice Regional Commander of the Qin army, stood in the very front rank with a few personal guards.

Just as the Ming army finished forming its line first, one after another ox-drawn shield carts slowly rolled out of the camp gate, with Sun Yingyuan, Regional Commander of the Yongwei Camp, personally standing atop the first cart.

According to the pre-arranged strategy, the shield carts that came out first drove toward the two flanks, facing north and south respectively, while the carts behind drove straight toward the west.

Although Shang Kexi had originally come from the Ming camp, shield carts had disappeared years ago, and given his former status and knowledge, he simply did not recognize these strange-looking contraptions.

Moreover, shielded by the Ming infantry squares, he could not urge his men forward to attack, so he and the several thousand under his command could only watch helplessly as shield cart after shield cart rolled out of the Ming camp.

The battlefield instinct honed over years of combat told Shang Kexi that these ox-carts would be extremely dangerous things, highly likely to inflict enormous harm and consequences on his own side.

Though wooden panels blocked the view, the cart beds must surely be loaded with something lethal. The fierce bearing and killing intent displayed by the Ming soldiers on the carts suddenly sent a chill down Shang Kexi's spine.

If only I had brought cannons along, Shang Kexi suddenly felt a pang of regret.

He immediately gave a few instructions to the personal guards beside him. Three guards stepped out of the formation, mounted their warhorses, and galloped off toward the north, south, and west respectively.

The Ming ox-carts seemed endless—two abreast emerged from the gate, and the shield carts that had come out first were gradually taking up their formation positions.

The Qin army's infantry squares ahead had already split into several groups under Zhang Yuan's orders and were withdrawing to the rear under the leadership of their respective camp officers and patrol commanders.

Their purpose in coming out had been to cover the cart camp's smooth exit and formation. Now that the task was complete, all that remained was to protect the cart camp's rear.

At Sun Yingyuan's command, the hundred-plus shield carts charging straight at Shang Kexi's troops began to move forward, with musketeers, sword-and-shield men, and spearmen following behind their respective carts.

Shang Kexi and his subordinate officers, in their desperation, could not think of a good way to respond. Faced with this formation, there was no choice but to meet the enemy head-on, so they could only steel themselves and order the soldiers to prepare for close combat.

At about seventy-odd paces from the Han Army Banner troops, the shield carts stopped one after another. The drivers turned the cart heads to one side, presenting the cart beds toward the Qing troops across from them.

Shang Kexi had already retreated to the rear formation with a few personal guards while the shield carts were still moving forward, handing over command to his trusted Vice Regional Commander Xu Yongnian.

Faced with unfamiliar danger, the cunning old fox had no intention of readily putting himself at risk.

Although Xu Yongnian also sensed the coming danger, as the commanding general he could not shrink back before battle.

So he loudly ordered the musketeers in the center and the archers on both flanks to advance, preparing to exchange fire with the Ming army, while the spearmen and sword-and-shield men stood ready to charge forward and engage at any moment.

At that very moment, the tall, shoulder-high cart-bed panels of the Ming army's great carts suddenly all swung open, and Folangji cannons mounted on their carriages appeared without warning in the Qing army's field of vision.