Chapter 433: The Qing Response

Since the oxen's ears had already been blocked, the drivers of each cart only needed to quickly cover the oxen's eyes, then swiftly hide within the wagon formation to complete their task.

Before Xu Yongnian and the Qing soldiers could react, the small Folangji cannons, already loaded with ammunition, fired almost simultaneously, plumes of white gunpowder smoke rising into the air. The Folangji cannons facing the Qing troops spewed over a hundred rounds of grapeshot from their muzzles, while those on the flanks fired solid shot.

Since the birth of cannonry, this should have been the first time in human history that cannons were used in concentrated volley fire—and at close range at that. The lethality was nothing short of horrifying.

With a single volley from the dozens of cannons on the Ming army's front line, no Qing soldier standing within grapeshot range remained on his feet.

The Qing musketeers and archers who had been advancing forward were swept across by thousands of fan-shaped grapeshot, leaving behind a field of shredded flesh and mangled remains.

Throughout the entire process, not a single scream was heard—five hundred Qing musketeers and four hundred archers were killed in an instant.

The Qing troops in the rear formation fared no better.

A crossfire network formed by dozens of solid shot covered nearly the entire rear formation of Qing troops. Dense as raindrops, the shot smashed into the crowd, bounced and careened wildly upon landing, knocking over everything in their path.

From the opening of the side-cart panels to the concentrated volley of the Folangji cannons, it all happened in the blink of an eye, yet the damage inflicted on the Qing army was devastating.

Xu Yongnian, standing at the front of the spear ranks, was smashed into a pile of mangled flesh by the shot. Among the two thousand-odd spearmen and sword-and-shield men, the tightly packed formation meant that the high-velocity shot caused several hundred casualties.

Witnessing the horrific scene before him, Shang Kexi said not a word. He turned and sprinted to his warhorse a dozen paces away, vaulted into the saddle, wheeled the horse's head around, and galloped north at full speed. Several of his personal guards also hastily mounted their horses and spurred after him.

Hearing the cannon fire ring out again behind him, Shang Kexi's heart turned to ice.

Where had these monstrous cannon carts come from? The lords of the Eight Banners were ever fierce and brave, but even they would be helpless against something like this.

He was likely to end up a commander with no troops left this time—of the three thousand men under him, who knew how many would survive.

It was easy to foresee that with his defeat, the rear of the Two White Banners would be completely exposed to this suddenly appearing Ming army. A great rout was already in sight.

Fortunately, he had just sent men to inform the Two White Banners and the Mongol Eight Banners. The masters would have some measure of warning, and perhaps, seeing that the situation was hopeless, they might withdraw from the battlefield early.

But why had the Ming army, which had always been so weak and feeble, suddenly become so powerful?

In several consecutive battles, every Ming force encountered had been a tough nut to crack—not only were their firearms formidable, but even their combat skills and morale had completely transformed from before.

At this rate, the Great Qing might be doomed.

A faint trace of regret stirred in Shang Kexi's heart.

If he had known the Great Ming still possessed such a strong army, he would never have defected in the first place.

After the Folangji cannons quickly completed their second volley, the surviving Han Banner soldiers finally began to flee in rout.

The sword-and-shield men and spearmen inside the wagon formation launched a pursuit, while the drivers once again urged the ox-carts forward, unhurriedly making their way toward the rear route of the Two White Banners.

Receiving Shang Kexi's message, Dorgon felt a surge of agitation.

The White Pole troops before him were as hard a bone to gnaw as any. Seeing from the rear formation that his men's advance had stalled, he understood that the front line had met an obstacle. Watching his archers press forward desperately under the bombardment of Ming cannon fire, his anxiety eased slightly.

Just as he had yet to decide how many men to dispatch to reinforce Shang Kexi, the sudden sound of cannon fire from behind startled him. He immediately turned to look east, but the distance was too great—he could only see the rising smoke, unable to make out the specifics of the engagement.

Because the personal guard Shang Kexi had sent had not seen the cannons loaded inside the side-carts, reporting only that a Ming force was preparing to cut off the Two White Banners' rear route with numbers exceeding five thousand, Dorgon had not been overly concerned.

But the faint sound of cannon fire made him immediately realize the gravity of the problem.

The Ming army's great cannons were what the Qing troops found most troublesome and feared most. Aside from enduring them head-on, there was simply no other way to counter them.

Dorgon immediately gave decisive orders: two thousand men from the rear formation of the Two White Banners were to turn around at once and advance east to meet the enemy; the Mongol Eight Banners on the southern flank were to concentrate their forces and strike directly at the eastern Ming army's flank; Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming, who had remained behind, were to lead the Han Banner troops in an attack from the north—all to annihilate this Ming force on the spot and deny them any chance to link up.

After issuing his orders, Dorgon pondered for a moment, then sent a fast rider to report to Yoto in the central route, warning him to be on his guard and instructing him to dispatch troops to intercept according to the situation.

Kuleca, a janggin of the Two White Banners, led two thousand elite Eight Banner soldiers eastward.

Barely a li out, they saw in the distance a large body of routed soldiers fleeing toward them.

Needless to say, Shang Kexi's Han Banner troops had been defeated by the Ming army.

Fuming with rage, Kuleca immediately ordered the entire force to quicken its pace, aiming to defeat the Ming army far from the main body so that the Qing troops locked in fierce battle would not be disturbed and distracted.

The surviving routed soldiers of Shang Kexi's force had not forgotten military discipline. Upon seeing the banners of Kuleca's unit, they detoured early to flee toward both sides, so as not to collide with the formation of the arriving Qing reinforcements.

Kuleca sat on his horse and looked east. With the distance now closed, the Ming army's formation ahead was clear at a glance.

What he saw two or three li away immediately filled him with doubt and uncertainty.

Aside from the squads of sword-and-shield men and spearmen returning, he saw cart after cart drawn by yellow oxen advancing toward him like moving fortresses, bringing him an extremely oppressive and stifling feeling that made him deeply uncomfortable.

Could it be that the Ming army was using these great carts as defensive works, hiding behind the wagon formation and attacking with firearms?

How was one supposed to break such a wagon formation?

The two armies advancing toward each other soon met at a distance of two li.

The Mongol Eight Banners to the south had also received Dorgon's orders—three thousand cavalry bore down on the wagon camp like a dark cloud overhead.

At Sun Yingyuan's command, the hundred-odd side-carts on the left flank spread out into formation, each cart's compartment facing south. The hundred-odd carts on the front likewise turned their heads, presenting their side-carts toward Kuleca's force.

The nearly eighty carts on the right flank arrayed themselves facing north, guarding against any enemy that might appear from that direction.

Because the Ming wagon camp had begun deploying its formation early, while the two sides were still over a li apart, Kuleca's plan to launch a surprise attack while they were unsettled was foiled.

Left with no choice, the Qing army had to resort to a frontal assault to break the formation.

Kuleca stared at the Ming carts over a hundred paces away, scrutinizing them carefully for a long while. Finding no trace of cannons, he was puzzled for a moment, then gave the order to attack.

The Mongol Eight Banners to the south had by now also galloped to within two li of the wagon camp—one more burst of speed would bring them to the front of the formation.

The meiren janggin leading the Mongol Eight Banners had already raised his right arm high and slashed it downward fiercely, signaling the entire force to charge the carts head-on, willing to sacrifice some men and horses to break the enemy formation as quickly as possible.

The task of breaking the formation was likewise given to over twenty white-armored soldiers clad in heavy armor.

These mightiest soldiers of the Eight Banners switched to heavy weapons—great axes, iron hammers, wolf-tooth clubs—and advanced unhurriedly toward the Ming army over a hundred paces away, preparing to surge forward at twenty-odd paces and smash the carts with their heavy weapons, slaughtering the yellow oxen pulling them.

Close behind the white-armored soldiers followed over a hundred red-armored soldiers, second only to the white-armored in prowess, their combat strength likewise formidable.

Then came three hundred elite soldiers, ready to charge in and slaughter once the white-armored soldiers broke open the wagon formation.

This arrow-shaped formation did not cover a large area of impact, but once they breached a corner of the wagon formation, the entire Ming formation would soon be destroyed.

The remaining thousand-odd Qing soldiers used this arrowhead formation as their vanguard, spreading out in a fan shape.

What Kuleca did not know was that he had made a fatal mistake.

Out of contempt and rage, he had not sent anyone to summon the routed Han Banner soldiers to inquire about the details, so he had no idea how the front line had been defeated so quickly.

Before the white-armored soldiers had advanced thirty paces, the panels of the side-carts suddenly dropped once again.