Chapter 1275: Iron Cavalry Like Wolves

The several three-pounder cannons just kept roaring, one round after another slamming down. Three-pounder cannons were not heavy pieces, after all, so the gunners fired while adjusting their angles and positions, even shoving the guns around to shift their firing spots, following the directions from their spotters on high ground to bombard wherever the enemy clustered most densely.

After three salvos, government troop casualties were nearing two hundred — fairly unremarkable kill numbers, really — but according to reports from the soldiers on high ground, the government army's formation had completely collapsed. Everyone was scattering as much as possible, seeking whatever cover the terrain offered, at the very least hiding behind houses, courtyards, or haystacks.

"Shitou, let me lead the charge!" Ji Xiang said to Shi Manqiang. Everyone in the Zhao Army knew that Fifth Master Ji of the Guard Brigade loved charging into the fray. Shi Manqiang did not argue, merely nodding and saying, "Be careful!"

The cavalry companies began moving into position and standing by. The cannon fire had ceased, but the government army's formation was already in total disarray. More critically, the morale and courage of the government troops, from top to bottom, had vanished without a trace. Everyone watched the sky with bated breath, ears pricked for the slightest rustle of wind or grass, terrified the cannons would fire again. When that iron lump came crashing down, no matter how fierce or mighty a warrior you were, your bones would simply snap and shatter. Those struck squarely had half their bodies blown apart. Who dared stand firm against that!

Just then, they heard the thunder of hooves and saw dust rising not far away — the cavalry of the Xuzhou force was charging in. The three-pounder cannons did not have long range to begin with, and the two sides were only a few hundred paces apart, making a cavalry charge and raid perfectly convenient. But at this moment, the government cavalry was scattered, the infantry was scattered, and there was simply no way to form ranks or establish a defensive position.

Though the government troops had no idea how to deal with artillery, they understood this much: if the enemy cavalry came charging in formation and their own side could not form ranks, there was no winning this fight. The most urgent thing now was to flee — saving their lives came first!

The thousand or so cavalry at the front let out a sharp whistle and scattered in every direction — they could certainly run fast. When those behind saw the front ranks fleeing first, what fighting spirit could possibly remain? They simply broke and scattered in a rout. As it happened, those deployed in the vanguard were the backbone elites of each unit, while those in the rear were mere filler, already on edge. At this point, the government army simply collapsed in a wholesale stampede.

Ji Xiang's charge this time did not mass hundreds or thousands of riders into one great formation. Instead, they advanced in small detachments of a hundred riders, a few dozen, even as few as ten — otherwise there would not be enough roads to accommodate them, nor could they maintain their speed of advance. It was precisely this multi-pronged advance that allowed them to track the enemy; otherwise, they would have been striking at empty air everywhere.

The horsemanship and martial skills of the Zhao Army cavalry were no better than those of the government cavalry — they were even slightly inferior. To ensure combat effectiveness, the Zhao Army cavalry were all superbly equipped. Unlike the raid on Tianjin, this time every man wore full armor and carried long spears or long sabers. Some even bore short-barreled fire lances — weapons with barrels about two feet long, a bore as thick as a fist, weighing a dozen or so jin, with an effective killing range of no more than twenty paces, loaded with iron sand and lead pellets.

Such firearms were not actually meant for long-range use but were, like swords and blades, intended for close-quarters engagement. In the battles during this march north, however, such weapons had had virtually no chance to be used — until this time. The government infantry and cavalry had scattered too widely; at the sight of formed Zhao Army cavalry charging in, they scattered even more. To kill the enemy, saber slashes and spear thrusts all took some effort. But firing these fire lances directly from horseback blasted out a fan-shaped pattern, cutting down swaths of men within twenty paces.

Ji Xiang had charged fast, chasing down and lopping off several heads before the cavalrymen around him blocked his path. They dared not let Ji Xiang charge too deep into the enemy ranks — if he were trapped in the enemy formation, it would be dire trouble. But Ji Xiang was losing interest in the fight anyway; the enemy had simply been routed, making this battle far too easy. He simply reined in his horse, climbed up a nearby tree, gazed around for a moment, and then declared, "The enemy has completely collapsed. We return to the main force!"

The shrill notes of the suona horns rang out. The Zhao Army cavalry attacking the government forces began slowing their pace and turning back. Small squads coalesced into companies, then took up positions in every direction, returning to the main formation where Shi Manqiang stood.

"That force south of the city is still about a thousand paces from here. If the routed troops from this side reach them with the news, our cannon fire might not work as well. If we end up in a stalemate, it'll definitely be trouble." Shi Manqiang offered no congratulations for Ji Xiang's victory — such a win had come far too easily — but instead got straight to the point about the other enemy force.

Ji Xiang had already dismounted and was feeding his mount mixed-grain flatcakes. Hearing this, he nodded and said, "Are we brothers afraid of a head-on clash?"

"A head-on clash always means casualties. I have an idea. This time we won't use the cannons — we'll take a long detour and hit them from behind. As Big Brother says, play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses!" Shi Manqiang said in his gruff voice.

Not long after, all the company commanders had assembled before Shi Manqiang and Ji Xiang. Shi Manqiang spoke: "When we first arrived here, everyone already marched through this area once. The southern government force is on the official road between Dragon Bone Ridge and Horse-Halt Slope. They have about ten thousand troops and are not moving fast. Here's what we do next: every company disperses. Each company commander leads his own cavalry. When you see large formations of government cavalry, flee. When you see government infantry, charge and cut them down. When do we regroup? When our bugle sounds — and when you can see my banner!"

Everyone acknowledged the order. Xu Yong, leading his direct company, glanced back before departing. He had not expected the usually steady and cautious Shi Manqiang, Fourth Master Shi, to dare such a gamble.

Two companies were left behind to guard the cannons and begin recovering the spent cannonballs, while all the other companies dispersed outright. If one could look down from a great height, one would see several thousand cavalry scattering like this, riding far out before beginning a great sweeping arc, charging toward the southern government force.

Just as Shi Manqiang had judged, routed government light cavalry from this side had indeed rushed over to bring word, making the government troops coming from the south extremely nervous. Even their pace of advance slowed considerably. The commanding colonel, while cursing the other side for their reckless greed for glory, was also mulling over whether to pull back to camp and hold a defensive position. Yet the orders from inside the city urged swift action, saying the bandit army was weak and that annihilating them now would be a tremendous merit — pulling back like this might well lead to punishment.

Up to this point, no one yet felt any real danger. No matter how fierce the bandit army, they could not possibly take the capital. Sooner or later they would disperse, and when that happened, all the old rules would resume as before. It was precisely because of this that the civil officials could still command the military officers, and the various units of the capital garrison could still maintain military discipline.

Just in this moment of hesitation, dust rose everywhere. On flat terrain, villages, estates, crops, and trees blocked the line of sight, making it impossible to see the enemy's movements. Suddenly, dust was seen rising in every direction, closing in to encircle them. For a moment, they were utterly horrified — had it not been said that the bandit cavalry numbered only a little over three thousand? Yet judging by this display of force, it might as well have been thirty thousand.

The government officers leading the troops understood clearly: to retreat at a moment like this would inevitably end in the total collapse of the entire army. The only course now was to huddle together in self-defense, to meet movement with stillness, and decide what to do once the enemy drew near. Moreover, according to reports from their own light cavalry scouts, the Xuzhou bandits' cannons had apparently not moved — so there was no need to fear being bombarded!

Yet while the commanding general at the front could keep his nerve, the various infantry battalions could not remain calm. They saw only the dust clouds drawing closer and closer, and heading straight for their own formations. How could infantry possibly withstand cavalry? Every man was panicked and terrified, held in place only by the officers' shouts and threats.

Shi Manqiang, leading one company, had already appeared on the government army's left flank. They had ridden straight through the crop fields, which was why they could not move very fast, advancing in a formed charge. The moment they spotted the government formation, every man quickened his pace. Horses did not move quickly through crop fields and could even trip over the field ridges, but none of that mattered now. Every rider dug his spurs into his horse's flanks; the horses, stung by pain, charged forward recklessly.

They could see the government troops struggling into a defensive posture, with some soldiers even carrying firearms and bows moving toward the outer edge. Shi Manqiang fastened his visor and leveled his long spear. The Firearms Works had demonstrated many times that government firearms could hardly penetrate armor — unless they were using properly crafted arquebuses, and the government troops simply did not possess such weapons.

"Close up! Tighten the formation!" Shi Manqiang bellowed. The cavalrymen advancing alongside him pressed in toward him. The distance between rider and rider was extremely tight — even their stirrups clanked against one another. According to the instructors of the Zhao Army, when cavalry formed up to charge a formation, they had to press as close together as possible, even packed tight, so that they could bear down like a solid wall and achieve a true shock effect.

Common thinking held that a cavalry charge was all about the "charge" — you had to gallop, to let the horses run wild, and just crash in with reckless abandon. But according to those Zhao Army instructors, you had to press forward. A formation advancing at a steady trot in perfect order was even more terrifying than a full-speed charge. This doctrine had been confirmed by the foreigners, who said it was the same in their lands.

They were still nearly two hundred paces away when a ragged crackle erupted from the government formation and gunpowder smoke billowed. Shi Manqiang instinctively wanted to duck, then immediately realized he was well outside their range. Most of the cavalrymen beside and behind him had the same reaction, followed by jeering laughter. The government troops were truly worthless — if it were the Zhao Army's own firearms, they would surely hold fire until the enemy was within seventy paces!

He could see the government soldiers before him frantically reloading. Through the drifting smoke and dust, Shi Manqiang made a judgment: their powder charges were either too much or too little. He even spotted ramrods still jammed in barrels, not yet pulled out. With loading like that, never mind hurting the enemy — they would be lucky not to blow themselves up!

What was more, these government soldiers were reloading in a frantic rush, yet they were actually slower than the Zhao Army's methodical, step-by-step drill. Shi Manqiang had trained with fire lances himself. According to the Zhao Army's drill manual, by this point a second volley would already have been fired. At this distance, he could already see routed soldiers throwing down their firearms and turning to flee. With such combat skills and such battlefield discipline, how could they possibly be tasked with defending the capital? No wonder Big Brother never took them seriously at all.

Thank you to old friends "Duan Yichen, Qi Sanwen, Yuan Heng Li Zhen, Feiran Ge, Kuding Piaoxiang, San Jing San Shi, Huaji, Feng Zhong Long Wang, Suixin Ziwo 0" for your generous support. Thank you all for your subscriptions and monthly tickets. Thank you, everyone.