Chapter 1199: Charging Straight In

At such a distance, the bandits really could fire their cannons at them. The government cavalry who realized this scrambled to spur their mounts and scatter, but it was already too late. Five shells howled down into the cavalry formation. With over a thousand riders in ranks, it was hard not to be hit at that density. Screams and the shrieks of horses erupted at once. Some men had their bodies blown apart, or man and horse were both torn open. Worse still was the shells' secondary ricochet. Many horses could not dodge in time, their legs snapped clean off, throwing the riders above.

The government cavalry scattered in a panicked uproar; no one dared bunch up again. But the spacing between cavalry ranks was far greater than that of infantry, so the shells' lethality was nowhere near what it would have been among foot soldiers. The five shells claimed the lives of several dozen riders, and several dozen more were now without horses.

"Don't run! The bandits' cannons have already fired. If we rally and charge now, this is a golden opportunity. Don't give the bandits time!" The cavalry battalion commanders and company commanders were all quite experienced, each roaring from horseback.

"By order of the Grand Commander, by order of the Guerrilla Commander, any who defy orders and flee shall be executed without mercy!" the personal guards of Guerrilla Commander Tong Qingshan bellowed in fury.

Under the threat of battlefield military law, and since everyone could reason through this point themselves — that after firing a shot, reloading a cannon to fire again was extremely troublesome, requiring the barrel to cool and the position to be re-secured — they also clung to the thought that the bandits' uncanny accuracy might not be true skill, but most likely blind luck. The next volley wouldn't be so precise.

After the brief panic, the cavalrymen from the Liaodong garrison began to regroup. The bandits' side was indeed quiet; it seemed everyone had guessed right. Each man grew considerably calmer. The ranks gradually reassembled, and the commanding officers prepared to give the order to charge.

But just at that moment, the booming thunder of cannons sounded again. With the experience of the first time, the government cavalry now had a rough sense of judgment. Hearing the howl of the shells, every nerve was stretched taut in preparation. Damn it, this volley was going to land in the cavalry ranks again. Whether the judgment was accurate or not, it was simply too similar to the last time. The government cavalry let out a collective shout, and whether in the front or back, all lashed their mounts, trying to scatter.

Yet no matter how fast men and horses moved, how could they possibly outrun cannon shells? Several shells landed once more, and a chorus of screams rose. This time the ranks had not yet fully assembled; the gaps and distances between them were much larger than before. Coupled with the fact that they had begun scattering in advance, the shells' lethality was considerably less than the previous volley. Still, horses were spooked one after another, now uncontrollably crazed, throwing the ranks into even greater chaos.

The observant could notice that the impact points of this volley seemed somewhat more accurate than the last. By now, all speculation and fantasy were useless. The bandits' cannons really were this accurate, and their reloading was far, far faster than the government troops'. Some still guessed that the bandits had just gotten lucky again this time, while others wondered if there were a dozen or more cannons firing in two separate volleys to produce such an effect.

But looking at the hundred-plus corpses of men and horses, and at their panic-stricken comrades, who would dare gamble on a third time? The cavalry units before the government army's front found it nearly impossible to regroup. Moreover, everyone scattered as much as possible, precisely to avoid being struck by those howling shells. Just as they dispersed, the thunderous roar of a third cannonade sounded. This time the government cavalry were prepared, scattering in an almost farcical rout. The shells gouged several deep craters into the ground; only three unlucky souls were struck directly. Yet this cannonade was so disruptive that even the government infantry, who had begun forming ranks to advance, could not hold steady. Though they could see the shells were not reaching them yet, the impact points were drawing closer and closer...

"Change direction! Move to the bandits' right flank, charge from the upper-right corner of their formation. Rally and form ranks there now — the bandits' cannons won't have time to turn!" Tong Qingshan's order came down again.

The government army's "bandits' right flank" meant the enemy's left flank — in other words, avoiding the firing arc of Zhao's Camp's cannons. From the government troops' perspective, fixing a cannon position required piling up earth embankments, using ropes and long spikes to secure it, and only then could it be fired. It could only be aimed in one direction, at one position. The two previous cannonades had confirmed this.

The order given, the government cavalry, unwilling to stay pinned down here, all rode toward the indicated direction. Several banners were raised there once more; the cavalry were to form ranks beneath those banners. The two rounds of cannon fire had caused few casualties, but they had ignited the government cavalry's fury. Gritting their teeth, every man thought: once we charge over, we'll slaughter them to our hearts' content.

Thinking was one thing. As they began moving to the right flank, everyone was still tense and anxious, terrified the enemy's cannons would fire at them at this moment. But as the cavalry gathered and the cannons remained silent, their suspended hearts slowly settled. They began to feel victory was within their grasp.

The ranks had barely been set when the cannons roared again — and the direction was aimed squarely at them. Could the bandits' cannons really shift so quickly? Or did they have dozens of cannons, leaving no blind spots on the battlefield? Some men froze in disbelief, while the majority frantically lashed their mounts, scattering in all directions once more.

Six shells landed again amidst the assembling ranks. More men, failing to flee in time, perished alongside their horses. This time the collapse was total. No one was willing to regroup a second time. Perhaps there were all sorts of explanations for the bandits' cannon fire, but no one dared test them anymore. Who knew if a shell would land on their own head? That was a certain death with not a sliver of hope.

The cavalry were elite troops, and elite troops were equally unruly. Many had already made up their minds: if a battle-enforcement squad really came to drive them forward, they would fight it out and then leave. They had re-enlisted not to throw their lives away, but for future prospects, rank, and wealth.

Guerrilla Commander Tong Qingshan, however, understood the cavalry's state of mind. A new order came at once: "All cavalry, charge the bandit horde! No need to maintain ranks. Rally or disperse according to the flow of battle. Do not be afraid — no matter how accurate the enemy's cannons, they can only fire five or six at a time, and once you scatter, they do little harm."

The final part of the order was stern: "Those who retreat and do not advance will be executed on the spot!"

The reasoning was laid out clearly, and the battle-enforcement squad was pressing forward with murderous intent. The cavalrymen had no wish to tear their faces apart completely — who knew if their comrades would join in a mutual bloodbath? If they charged scattered like this, there was little personal danger, and they wouldn't be running any slower.

Moreover, Tong Qingshan's order was utterly unambiguous. Once issued, they could see his personal guards and the sons of his household riding to the front of the formation. With his own people taking the lead, what excuse did the rest have? They saw the identifying banners in the hands of the battalion and company commanders wave. Willingly or not, everyone shouted and spurred their horses, beginning their charge toward the bandit army.

When over a thousand cavalry launched a charge, even without tight formation, the galloping assault still made hooves thunder like drums and dust billow skyward. At the start, no one dared ride too fast. But after covering a hundred-plus paces, with the enemy's cannons still silent, their courage began to swell. They rode faster and faster, their momentum growing greater and greater.

The space cavalry needed to form ranks was far greater than that of infantry, and now they were charging in a scattered formation. The Xuzhou men stood in tight, dense order. By comparison, this thousand-plus cavalry seemed several times the size of the Xuzhou force. Moreover, the government troops were mounted, the enemy on foot. Looking down from that height only magnified their sense of power. The faster they rode, the more their confidence soared.

In the government army's main formation, war drums thundered to bolster the cavalry's might. Even the infantry could not help but cheer loudly. By all appearances, a great victory was imminent. A smile even spread across Tong Qingshan's face. Meanwhile, the cavalry unit of Shandong Regional Commander Yang Guodong also began shifting toward the flank. Given any opening, they would strike, joining forces to seize and destroy this Xuzhou bandit rabble.

When they were about two hundred paces away, through the dust they could see the Xuzhou force on alert. Several dozen paces in front of the bandit ranks stood a few sparse lines of men, some kneeling, some standing, simply waiting for the cavalry to charge into them. What kind of obstacle was this? Whatever stood before them, they could simply crash through and trample it!

"Anyone who fires before they're in range — beheaded! Anyone who fires without aiming — beheaded! Anyone who retreats early — beheaded!" The company and platoon leaders of the arquebusier companies shouted at the top of their lungs, their voices hoarse. Some stood in the ranks holding arquebuses; others paced the line with pudao blades, constantly patrolling.

In the gaps and behind the ranks of the arquebusier retainers stood bowmen with tense expressions. The demands on them were simpler than those on the retainers. For the bowmen, turning and retreating early meant death. Stand here, loose arrows as fast as possible, aim true, and draw the bow to its fullest!

Several company leaders held whistles in their mouths, red flags raised high in one hand, the other hand extended with thumb raised forward. They were all gauging the distance of the approaching enemy cavalry. The current situation was indeed vexing. The government cavalry were scattered, while Zhao's Camp's arquebusier ranks were concentrating firepower. Firepower would inevitably be wasted, and the effect in blunting the enemy's charge would also be weakened.

They could already see the smiles on the government cavalrymen's faces. The arquebusier retainers who had seen battle were very familiar with such smiles — the contempt for firearms, the belief that firearms were inaccurate and short-ranged, incapable of killing, only good for making noise and smoke to frighten people. But every time, the enemy had been proven wrong!

"Fire!" The order was practically shouted by the arquebusier retainers on instinct. The company leaders blew their brass whistles with desperate force, slashing the flags in their hands downward. Starting from where the company leaders stood, the arquebuses erupted in successive cracks. Yet the sound went completely unnoticed — the thunder of hooves drowned out everything.

The sound could not be heard, but the killing was real. They could see government cavalrymen at the front suddenly topple as their horses flipped, or riders brandishing blades and lances suddenly lurch sideways. But the cavalry were running too scattered, and at this moment, already at full gallop. A few casualties went entirely unnoticed.

After the first volley, the arquebusier retainers grew calmer instead. The enemy had entered their range; now they only needed to keep firing without pause to kill. The second rank stepped forward and fired. The arquebusier retainers who had been rotated out nervously reloaded their weapons. The bowmen all held their bows half-drawn, dodging the arquebusiers cycling forward and back. The enemy had not yet entered their range.

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