Chapter 1180: War Turtle

At this juncture, there was no time for hesitation. Mobile Corps Commander Yue Qianhu made his decision at once and said in a muffled voice, "Since something's off, we go up and fight. If we can't win, we pull back. That hundred-odd cavalry of theirs can't do much!"

The government troops had already formed up outside. The order was passed, and they began advancing slowly. For this battle, the Fengyang government forces had even committed a hundred and fifty cavalry to guard against enemy cavalry charges and to be ready to charge over themselves at any moment.

Watching the government troops close in, the opposing force acted very clumsily, not advancing to meet the enemy. Shouts of command could be heard from within their ranks. Their formation grew somewhat neater, and some men took down the bamboo rafts and wooden planks they carried on their backs.

Could it be they were just going to stay put? The government troops who saw this grew considerably bolder. Without needing the officers to urge them, their steps quickened compared to before.

In this kind of battle formation, the routine was to open with bows and fire lances, using gunpowder weapons to bombard, killing and disrupting the enemy as much as possible before closing to engage. If the opportunity was right, cavalry would also be used to charge the enemy line.

The government officers shouted orders. Archers and soldiers carrying firearms ran forward quickly. The opposing force had been watching the government side's movements all along. Seeing the archers and firearms advance, someone on that side shouted again, and there seemed to be the beating of small drums or something similar. The force could be seen shouting and yelling. The front ranks raised their bamboo rafts and wooden planks upright, while the rear ranks lifted theirs overhead. The action looked exceedingly strange. All of a sudden, their orderly formation had transformed into the shape of a "wooden box."

What on earth were they doing? The bows and firearms paid no mind to that. Once they closed to a certain distance, they immediately loosed arrows and opened fire. Seeing the enemy hiding behind wooden frames, propping up and holding bamboo rafts and planks, looking for all the world like they were lying down to take a beating, the government archers and gunners grew enthusiastic and deliberately closed in to shoot.

But the power of these bows and firearms was only so much. The sparse rain of arrows showered over, all blocked when they struck the planks and bamboo rafts. A few arrows got lucky and slipped through the gaps, drawing screams, but it did little real damage. As for the iron sand and gravel loaded in the various firearms, at most they could pit and dent the bamboo rafts and planks. To truly unleash their power, they would probably have to close within twenty paces. Who would take that risk? At that distance, in the time it took to load powder and fire, the enemy would be upon them with long spears.

The bows and firearms caused few casualties but sent the morale of the attacking government troops soaring. The enemy was turtled up like a tortoise, looking for all the world like lambs to the slaughter. What was there to fear from such a foe? Rush in and kill the enemy to earn merit. Without the officers even needing to urge them, the soldiers' steps quickened. The government cavalry, over a hundred riders, even raced ahead, circling the enemy formation looking for a gap to charge through.

But it had to be said, this tortoise formation was indeed tight. Triangular wooden barricades blocked every side. Long spears protruded through the gaps in the planks and bamboo rafts. The formation was contracted, but not in disarray. The cavalry truly could find no opening to charge. After circling once, they pulled back. The two armies were now just over forty paces apart.

The enemy's shouts and drumbeats could be heard. Wooden planks and bamboo rafts could be seen being shifted aside, but within their line of sight, no opportunity to shoot arrows or fire presented itself. The soldiers' steps quickened further. What was there to fear? The enemy wasn't sealed inside a giant wooden crate. Once they got close, they could just thrust their blades and spears through the gaps.

At about twenty paces' distance, a sudden roar of shouts erupted from within the "tortoise formation." All the wooden planks and bamboo rafts were moved aside and laid at their feet. All of a sudden, arrows came shooting toward them. This threw the government ranks into chaos. These bandit soldiers were truly cunning, hiding their bows until this moment to use them. Quite a few of the soldiers charging at the front were struck by arrows, dead or wounded, and immediate disorder followed.

"Don't panic! Those are just damned hunting bows, soft as hell! We're this close—charge them!" an officer roared hoarsely. Those with a trained eye could naturally judge the quality of the bows. Hunting bows like these had a range of thirty or forty paces. Unless they hit a vital spot, there was no mortal danger. The threat was truly small. Besides, at this close distance, how many more arrows could they loose before they were overrun?

At this distance, retreat was impossible. Twenty-some paces away, if you wanted to turn around, you still had to consider the comrades behind you, and even further back, the supervision squads of the officers and leaders. After the brief rout caused by the arrow volley, the government troops' advance actually sped up. They swarmed forward, ready to completely smash the enemy line.

The enemy still did not move, except that clusters of gleaming, razor-sharp spear points pointed outward. When the government soldiers reached the front, they found that to advance a single step further, they would have to parry these long spears aside. But the spears were densely packed like a wall. What was worse, this wall could move. Parry one spear away, and two more thrust forward, and then more still. They could only halt and trade stabs and thrusts in place.

But they had charged, and now the front pushed and the rear pressed. It was not so easy for the men running at the very front to suddenly stop. Everyone was braking and halting, but the small forward step of inertia, accumulated row by row, would still send the men at the very front onto the spear points. If they could trade life for life, the battle-crazed veterans might just throw their lives away, but their own long spears could not reach the enemy, and their blades and axes were even shorter. They could only flail forward uselessly, watching helplessly as the spear points drew closer and closer, then pierced into their bodies.

Curses and screams rang out continuously. By the time the situation was somewhat brought under control, the government troops had left several dozen corpses behind, while the enemy formation had not budged an inch. From time to time, a cold arrow still shot out. At this point, government morale plummeted. This enemy force looked stupid and clumsy, but you simply could not bite through them. Any attempt meant casualties. And everyone vaguely knew they could not afford to waste time. What would happen if this dragged on?

Just then, a shout was heard from within the enemy formation: "... Advance... advance." No one knew what was being ordered forward. The men pressed against the very front indeed saw someone pushing forward through the crowd. Before they could react, someone cried out in alarm, "The bandits have matchlocks! Get clear!"

The matchlocks fired. The crack of the shots was barely noticeable amid the din of voices, but men in the government ranks kept dropping. Even two of the government cavalry roaming around the "tortoise formation" were hit, tumbling straight from their horses. They actually had matchlocks! This threw the government ranks into panic. They all scrambled backward. Fortunately, the enemy's matchlocks had a very slow rate of fire. But having just closed to engage, they could not pull back quickly in the chaos. There was enough time for the matchlocks to fire a second volley.

The government troops, high and low, knew matchlocks were effective—they shot far and penetrated well. But the things needed to be aimed, requiring you to bring the barrel up to your eye to fire. Yet the government-manufactured goods were utterly shoddy. Barrel bursts that blinded eyes and maimed hands were far too common. Everyone just held them at a distance to shoot. If you heard a bang, forget about accuracy, let alone lethality. They were worse than using larger-caliber pieces to scatter shot at close range. Who could have imagined the enemy had matchlocks, and dared to aim and use them properly?

Once the matchlocks fired here, the government ranks immediately fell into chaos. The number of dead was not even as high as the casualties from the charge and melee, but no one knew whether a matchlock ball would strike them next. Even the cavalry were keeping well away. Everyone wanted to get out of range before making any further plans. Those in front wanted to go to the rear, and those in the rear did not want to become the front. Pushing and shoving, scrambling, disorder began to spread. The officers' furious curses and attempts to restore order had no effect. They themselves were keeping well away; no one would listen to a word they said.

At that very moment, the small drumbeats within the "tortoise formation" sounded urgently. The government soldiers paid little heed. Whatever other tricks you have, you still can't leave your "tortoise shell." They never imagined that at this instant, a wave of shouts would erupt from the enemy front. They actually pushed aside the triangular wooden barricades blocking their front, leveled their long spears, and charged out. The men charging at the very front shouted at the top of their lungs, their voices already hoarse and distorted. If one listened carefully, one could hear panic and fear in those shouts.

But at this moment, how could the government soldiers pay attention to that? All their actions had been predicated on the enemy staying fixed in place. Who could have imagined the enemy would actually charge out? Their own side was in chaos, with no time to form ranks and face the enemy. The enemy was charging, and if they did not flee now, those long spears would be skewering them. The attacking government forces fell into utter chaos in an instant. Every man thought only of fleeing back to the manor, or at least escaping the enemy's pursuit. With the crush and trampling all at once, control was immediately lost.

What intensified the chaos even more was the cavalry's behavior. At this moment, far from holding the rear, the government cavalry vied with one another to charge through the main gate into the manor. Any infantryman in their way was simply bowled over, with no regard whatsoever. The officers and the mounted men had all fled first—why should anyone else stay and fight to the death?

Looking at it now, though this bandit force seemed stupid and clumsy, their combat strength was truly not weak. They were all sturdy, able-bodied men, clearly drilled in spear thrusting. Fierce and accurate, every thrust was aimed at a vital point. To be struck was to die. If you wanted to live a bit longer, you had to run first. Forget the manor or the stockade—saving your own life came first. Some men ran straight into the fields and wilds, with no intention of returning to the ranks at all.

On the stockade wall, Mobile Corps Commander Yue Qianhu, who had been watching the battle, was ashen-faced. After seeing his own troops routed, he had been on the verge of ordering the manor gates shut several times but held back in the end. Gritting his teeth, he said, "The bandits fear breaking their own formation and won't dare pursue too far. They won't dare move fast. The mounted men split into two groups. One group rounds up the routed troops; the other reforms the ranks. We're heading west right now. If we keep dallying here, the bandits' cavalry will be upon us."

From the high vantage point, one could see more clearly. After the long-spear-wielding enemy charged out, they advanced only a few dozen paces. Having killed barely a few foes, they received a signal from their main formation and then rapidly withdrew, once again righting the pushed-aside wooden barricades and setting them up before them.

"These aren't any household retainers. Odds are they're some sort of manor militia of the Xuzhou bandits," Mobile Corps Commander Yue Qianhu said through gritted teeth. The faces of the subordinates around him all changed color. How could even the bandits' militia possess such combat strength? This was already superior to the government troops. Then how strong must the household retainers of that so-called Zhao Character Camp be? Just thinking about it sent chills down their spines.

This is the second of today's third update. There will be another update around 7 PM. Brothers and sisters on Qidian and Chuangshi, we're only ninety-seven votes away from another bonus chapter. Let's rally and cast those votes!

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