Chapter 1181: No Escape (Bonus Chapter)

"We can't worry about all that now. We head west first. If we can make it back to Fengyang, we go back. If not, we push toward Henan. We can't stay here and throw our lives away. At least we outnumber this enemy force and we march faster than them!" Yue Qianhu gave the order.

Because the enemy wasn't pursuing, the scattered fleeing soldiers could still be rounded up. They hastily regrouped right there in the manor. The troops were in an uproar and already growing hard to control. From Yue Qianhu on down, all the officers and the mounted personal guards had reached a tacit understanding: if anything really went wrong, they would abandon the main force and flee first. On horseback, at least they could race out with their lives.

The government troops dared to set up in the manor like this because they figured the enemy had no way to maneuver quickly. Once they themselves moved out, the enemy wouldn't be able to catch up for a while. They more or less finished regrouping and set out directly from another gate of the manor.

They should have known the enemy also had riders circling far out to scout. As soon as there was any movement, word came rushing back. The moment the government troops emerged from the west gate, the enemy reacted. The enemy force let out a unified shout. Those carrying wooden frames hoisted their wooden frames; those carrying planks and bamboo rafts also sprang into action. Just like that, they formed ranks and came jogging around the manor in pursuit. Wouldn't such a clumsy, stupid camp formation risk scattering their ranks? The government troops left behind to hold the manor all stared wide-eyed and tongue-tied.

Yet to their surprise, the enemy ranks truly did not break apart. They actually kept their formation all the way to the east gate. Once there, however, they did not engage the government troops who had already come out of the manor gate. Instead, they reformed their ranks about two hundred paces away. Although they did not advance to attack, the main Fengyang government force, already halfway out, now dared not simply march away. If they really marched, what if the enemy came running in pursuit? That would put them in a passive position, taking a beating!

By now, the government troops finally understood something. This bandit force's foot drill and such were all quite good, but they probably didn't dare to spread out and fight. Yet protecting themselves so tightly and securely like this was enough to give anyone a headache. They truly could neither march away nor attack.

"The entire army will exit the manor. We'll swallow up these bandits first, then march. Otherwise, if this keeps dragging on, we can't fight and we can't leave!"

"Brother Yue, let's just go. If we keep stalling like this, the Xuzhou bandits' cavalry will catch up!"

"Bullshit! Without this capital in hand, what the hell are we? You want to end up like that whoever in Yanzhou, turning bandit and becoming some mountain king?"

"Commander, the logic is sound, but if even these non-household troops are this tough to crack, what do we do when the cavalry behind them arrives?"

"Hold to the death! This is still the Great Ming's royal domain. The various grand armies are besieging Xuzhou. We dare not delay, but does Xuzhou dare delay? They're in a hurry to get back. Go make arrangements quickly. This time, regardless of life or death, we swallow up this bandit gang first, then seize their supplies!"

Mobile Corps Commander Yue Qianhu glared and bellowed his orders. What he shouted was all sound reasoning. The subordinate officers, however unwilling, were still convinced. Each went off to make arrangements. Any soldiers below who grumbled or dragged their feet were immediately dragged out and beheaded. Others directly pushed over a large cart, scattering the silver coins from leather pouches on top, shouting that as long as they advanced, this would be everyone's reward.

Under this mix of threats and bribes, the government army barely managed to rally its morale and began to reform ranks. But at this moment, the Xuzhou force that had arrived was no longer staying put. They had formed a great horizontal line three hundred men wide and ten men deep, still with the triangular wooden frames arrayed in front, advancing with long spears held level.

With a horizontal line this wide, there was naturally no way to keep it perfectly neat, yet the formation was more or less maintained. Step by step, they pressed forward. They advanced very, very slowly. The government troops, following their usual practice, had ample time to reform and meet the attack. But the enemy pressing forward with such shouting and battle cries put immense pressure on the government troops, high and low. Some men, ignoring their officers' shouts, fled directly, only to be cut down by the cavalry chasing after them. The ranks grew more and more chaotic.

"Commander! A large dust cloud to the south! A large dust cloud to the south! The Xuzhou bandits' horse troops are here!" Right in the midst of this panic, someone from the rear guard came to report, his voice already cracking.

Mobile Corps Commander Yue Qianhu's face instantly darkened. Before he could give an order, he saw a government unit on the outermost flank suddenly collapse. Soldiers scattered and fled in all directions, while the chiliarch leading them and his personal guards were already lashing their horses and galloping madly away. In the blink of an eye, they were far off. The government army was already growing hard to control.

"Run? Where can you run? Pull back to the manor! Quickly, pull back to the manor!" Mobile Corps Commander Yue Qianhu said through gritted teeth, then roared the order.

The Fengyang government troops' rout continued, but most of the officers and soldiers knew they couldn't run. Returning to the manor to hold to the death was the best option. They immediately obeyed the order, scrambling and shoving each other as they surged toward the manor. Many were squeezed off the bridge and fell below, then climbed back up. Although it was already a scene of great chaos, they could still withdraw into the manor.

Once back inside the manor, men were assigned to close the manor gates and to post each unit on the walls to stand guard. Yue Qianhu had no time to catch his breath. He went straight up onto the wall to look out. He saw the chiliarch and his personal guards who had fled first now wheeling their horses back around. Behind them, men were in relentless pursuit. He could see men around the chiliarch falling from their horses from time to time, struck by arrows. Behind them, over two hundred Xuzhou cavalry were shooting arrows and cutting men down. Most of those who had scattered and fled met their deaths.

Every government officer and soldier who reached the top of the wall now wore an ashen, defeated expression. At this moment, holding to the death was the only path left. Their sole hope was that this cavalry had no way to assault a fortified stronghold directly and also couldn't afford to waste time here. As long as the enemy was in a hurry to rush back to Xuzhou, they themselves could eventually lead their troops and escape. Best case, they could bring the army back to Fengyang. If that truly proved impossible, they would flee to Henan and turn bandit.

Three dust clouds slowly closed in on this place. Only the north had no force coming to encircle them. The large cavalry force led by Zhao Jin began to mass below this manor. The three thousand infantry who had tangled with and blocked the government troops also hurriedly sent men over to report, to avoid any misunderstandings.

"We were supposed to arrive last night, but the ice surface collapsed when we crossed the Hui River, which delayed us. If this Fengyang government force had wanted to flee, we really wouldn't have been able to deal with them. I never expected you would stop them. You've rendered great merit. Wait for your rewards!" Zhao Jin said, very excited.

These four thousand-plus Fengyang government troops had originally been a guaranteed victory, but it was delayed by the unexpected collapse of the river ice. Returning to Xuzhou was the top priority. If this force had really escaped elsewhere, they would have just ignored it for the time being. Though it posed no immediate threat, it would still be a hidden danger. He never expected someone would block them. This joy of regaining what was nearly lost made him even happier.

Zhao Jin was delighted, while the household cavalrymen following him were exhilarated. This exhilaration wasn't just because they could win another battle, but because a certain confidence had been proven once more. The garrison troops of the Central Capital, Fengyang, were already quite decent. Yet such a force had actually been tied down by Suzhou's local militia. If their own local militia could stand against decent government troops, then how much local militia did Xuzhou have besides the household troops, and how much more local militia could be organized and trained? The thought alone made one tremble.

The Suzhou agricultural settlement was considered a veteran among the Zhao Camp's agricultural estate villages. It was one of the first areas where refugees were resettled. The estate villages here were very well-developed. The village planning, defense, and the training of the local militia were all top-notch. When the government troops arrived this time, the villages around Suzhou city and along the official roads all carried out relocation and evacuation, moving to estate villages closer to Xuzhou or farther from these marching routes for temporary shelter.

However, the local agricultural settlement manager was very insightful. If the government troops stopped and stayed in Suzhou, plundering everywhere, even those villages already relocated and hidden would likely not escape disaster. By the time the Xuzhou troops arrived, everything would be too late. Li Wu's Suzhou regiment had already withdrawn back to the mountain gateway between Xuzhou and Suzhou. Here, they could only rely on the local militia for self-defense. This manager thus summoned the village heads from all over for a joint council. They gathered the local militia and reserve militia from every estate village into one place. One thousand served as reserves; the other three thousand took the initiative to engage the government troops.

Everyone had a rough idea of the government troops' fighting ability. Compared to them, whether the local militia was stronger or weaker — no one was quite sure. However, they had been through quite a few battles, large and small, and some of the militia squad leaders were former household troops. So everyone did have a certain confidence. At the very least, they wouldn't suffer a major defeat and could preserve themselves. As long as they could tie down these government troops and let the Xuzhou household brigades arrive, that would be enough.

Everyone knew this was a risk, but the estate villages here had already been built into shape. The people in the villages had even intermarried with the local Suzhou populace and come to regard this place as home. If all of this was ruined and defiled by the government troops, no one would be willing to accept it. Though they all understood the risks, every area still scraped together men and horses. Then, with a few dozen hunting bows, over twenty old-style matchlock arquebuses discarded by the Jingshan Xu family, plus Suzhou's local martial men and Xuzhou volunteers, they boldly came to block the enemy just like this.

The battle tactic they envisioned was very clumsy. As long as the government troops had no cannons, their firearms and bows couldn't penetrate the shield wall of planks and bamboo rafts. The triangular wooden frames were essentially chevaux-de-frise in style. They would first protect themselves inside this "field fortification," preventing the government troops from attacking, and then counterattack. This was taking the Zhao Camp's pike square tactics to their extreme limit. These local militiamen had drilled foot maneuvers for a long time. Their adaptability and running pursuit were all outstanding, and they wouldn't be too clumsy or stupid. Those bows and arquebuses could inflict casualties after all.

They had estimated great risk beforehand, never expecting to be this strong once the fighting started. This battle raised the morale of the leading militia squad leaders and that manager sky-high. The household brigades were elite, and indeed few in number. But how much local militia was there everywhere? How much effort it took to train local militia — everyone knew that in their hearts. What immense strength this was.

"Your elder brother is a capable man, but his nature is too soft, too tightly bound by the Great Ming's laws and rules. He nearly made a grave mistake. However, he's done quite well in the northern district of Huai'an. He's the most capable assistant under the agricultural settlement supervisor. His future prospects are certainly considerable. But both you and your brother are getting on in years. If you want to think long-term, you should still place your sons and nephews in the Five Great Academies to learn real skills. They will definitely be put to important use in the future." Zhao Jin first had the cavalry rest temporarily, then gave a few words of instruction to the manager leading the local militia.

Hearing Zhao Jin's words, the manager was so overcome with gratitude that he was about to kneel. Zhao Jin smiled and steadied the man, saying, "Zhong Gongxian, this great merit has washed away your elder brother's offenses entirely. From now on, you must still strive upward. Work diligently. The Zhao Camp will not treat those of merit unfairly!"

This is the third update today, a bonus chapter!

Brothers and sisters of Qidian and Chuangshi, we are 78 votes away from the next bonus chapter. Also, the deadline is tomorrow night at 7 PM. Old Bai is off to work hard on writing!

Thanks to old friend "Duan Yichen" for the reward, and thanks to everyone for your subscriptions and support. Thank you all!