Chapter 1345: I Said I Would Have Revenge

Hearing Qi Erkui's words, Zhao Song felt a surge of mixed emotions. All these days he had held out bitterly on Pi Island. Though the island's able-bodied men had reached the peak of fear toward Jianzhou, a fear that had even infected the soldiers of the Zhao Family Army, Zhao Song's own confidence had never wavered. Yet only now did he truly understand just how powerful the Zhao Family Army really was.

Zhao Song nodded heavily and said, "I ask Adjutant Qi to provide cover for our battalion, and let the Pi Island Battalion take the vanguard!"

At these words, Qi Erkui laughed and waved his hand. "You've toiled hard for so many days. It's time you rested well. The Haizhou Regiment has been at peace too long; they're all bursting with pent-up energy!"

As they spoke, Zhao Song grew more and more relaxed. Only within the Zhao Family Army could such a conversation take place. Qi Erkui gazed into the distance to observe for a moment, and the smile on his face grew even easier. He said leisurely, "It's only because you're short-handed here, Battalion Commander Zhao. Otherwise, why would we even need to come?"

By now, two more companies had landed at the dock. There were now three companies of arquebusiers and five companies of pikemen ashore. Zhao Song was very familiar with the Haizhou Garrison Regiment's organization and knew that more than just this one regiment had come this time; other battalion formations were likely to be assembled as well.

"I must trouble the Battalion Commander to clear the road. We're about to push forward!" Qi Erkui said politely. Zhao Song immediately made the arrangements. Within the Zhao Family Army's system, hierarchy was clear, yet no one cared who was whose relative. Perhaps some might have wanted to care, but Zhao Jin detested such things and had emphasized this repeatedly, so everyone naturally understood what to do.

The ships naturally carried ample provisions and fodder, but there was no time to unload them yet. Many in the Pi Island Soldier Battalion and the able-bodied laborers still had empty stomachs, but who cared about hunger now? Morale was soaring, and upon hearing the orders given, everyone busied themselves.

The Jianzhou Jurchen camp had already prepared its full defenses. Originally over ten thousand troops had been stationed here, so the encampment was large enough and supplies were ample. They were desperately readying their resistance. Though the situation forced them to defend, they were confident they could hold. The Jurchen main camp, built upon the foundations of the Dongjiang Garrison's stockade, was strictly organized and could withstand an assault.

The follow-up troops continued to land. Pre-battle preparations for the arquebusiers were relatively cumbersome, especially since they were disembarking from ships. Ammunition and the like could not all be brought ashore at once, and the match cords could only be lit once ashore. Now they were sorting ammunition and coiling match cords, while the pikemen were donning their armor. After the ten two-pounder cannons were unloaded, four three-pounder cannons began to be brought down from the ships.

"We have a cannon foundry back in Haizhou, so we brought several dozen pieces this time," Qi Erkui said with great bravado. Hearing this, Zhao Song broke into a smile he could not conceal.

Nearly two thousand Pi Island soldiers and able-bodied men worked furiously, pushing down the outer wall that had just been rebuilt a few days prior, then leveling the ground outside. They did not fear an enemy attack, for ten cannons stood ready behind them. With two thousand men working at full strength, a vast stretch of ground was quickly leveled.

The first to advance were the ten two-pounder light cannons, pushed forward to an area on the right flank. The Jianzhou troops opposite intended to sally forth and attack, but as soon as they surged out, they saw the Zhao Family Army's arquebusier companies already formed up and in position, and could only retreat back. By now, scattered Jianzhou Jurchen soldiers had already begun to break ranks and flee toward the depths of Pi Island. After so many days of fighting, they naturally knew how troublesome this defending force was. Now that more soldiers and more cannons had arrived, how could this battle be fought? Better to seize this chance and flee quickly! There were still rafts on the northern shore; if they could paddle across to the mainland now, they still had a chance to escape.

Seeing the Jianzhou Jurchen in such a state, everyone burst into laughter. The tension and despair of these past days were swept away entirely. Just as the atmosphere was heating up, a thunderous boom rang out, like a muffled thunderclap, yet it came not from within the fortress position, but from the sea. As everyone stood stunned, they saw the wooden palisade at the edge of the Jurchen camp opposite blasted open, thick stakes smashed to splinters. Dust and smoke rose from within the Jurchen camp, accompanied by miserable howls.

Muffled thunderclap booms sounded one after another from the sea. The Jurchen stockade, which moments ago had looked well-ordered and difficult to assault, suddenly seemed made of paper. Every cannonball that struck swept away everything before it like dry twigs.

The able-bodied men of Pi Island had no real concept of cannons and could only make simple inferences from their power and presence. What kind of cannons could unleash such destruction? And how were they firing from the sea? Could they be on ships?

"Of the foreigner's decked cannon ships that raided Haizhou last time, only one was usable. We've been pondering ever since how to mount cannons on the Guangdong and Fujian ships, but we couldn't make them like the foreign ships. Only four cannons of around twelve pounds can be placed on a ship, and only two can fire at once!" Qi Erkui explained to Zhao Song.

The current bombardment was indeed coming from the fleet. Four Guangdong ships had turned their broadsides parallel to the coastline and were firing. Because the Jianzhou Jurchen had set up their camp near the shore to attack the fortress position at close range, it fell within the cannons' range.

After the ship cannons had fired three volleys, fewer than ten rounds had struck the camp, but the Jianzhou Jurchen, from top to bottom, no longer dared to hide within it. What had been a place of complete fortifications and ample supplies, the safest location, had now become a death trap. Every cannonball that came shattered wooden stakes into splinters, sent earth and stone flying, and claimed lives. Those unlucky enough to be struck directly by a cannonball could not even leave a whole corpse behind, blasted to pieces.

The ten cannons from before had already been shocking and terrifying enough. Now, even more powerful cannons were firing from the sea. How could anyone stay in this camp? There were only two choices now: flee or fight. The Jianzhou Jurchen troops in the camp did not hesitate long and ultimately chose to fight.

Pi Island was isolated out at sea, a dead end. There was nowhere to flee. If they scattered across the island, they would sooner or later be hunted down, killed, or captured. The fate of the Dongjiang Garrison after its collapse was a clear example. Besides, from what they could see now, the Jianzhou Jurchen still believed they held the advantage in troop numbers.

Before, they had been constrained by the narrow confines of the port position and unable to commit their full strength. Now the enemy had pushed down their own outer fortifications, no longer holding a defensive position but forming up for open-field battle. Then it would be a contest of raw courage and ferocity. Without fortifications to rely on, the power of those firearms would not be so great. You might fire a shot or a cannon, but I could still quickly charge to close quarters. When that happened, I would have numbers and you would not. The warriors of the Eight Banners were peerless in valor; what was there to fear in a head-on clash?

Now that it had come to this, they could only brace themselves against that damned volley of firearms and charge forward. Not charging meant only death.

"The Tartars are truly something. In such a situation, they can still barely hold formation. I thought we could just smash them with cannon fire!" Seeing the Jianzhou troops rushing out of the camp, Qi Erkui was quite surprised.

Right in front of the camp, every Niru below the rank of Company Commander was assembling under their banners. The cannons on the ships were also adjusting their aim. The sea waves surged and rolled, making accuracy very difficult to guarantee. But for a camp of several thousand troops, a formation of several thousand troops, as long as the cannons' direction was roughly correct, they would always hit something. Those nine-pound and twelve-pound long cannonballs came crashing over; even if they only grazed the edge of a formation, they would carry away several lives. At this moment, the Jianzhou Jurchen truly showed their elite nature. Though the entire formation was in turmoil, they could still hold together and advance. No wonder Qi Erkui sighed in admiration. Had it been Ming troops or common levies, they would often have collapsed under such bombardment. How could they still form up, prepare for battle, and even continue advancing?

"Before I crossed hands with the Tartar troops, I never imagined they would be so elite, so fierce and brave. However, the strength of these Tartar troops is only strength compared to government troops and roving bandits. They cannot compare to our Zhao Family Army!" Zhao Song said gravely.

Qi Erkui chuckled and raised his voice. "Under heaven, who could possibly compare to our Zhao Family Army!"

The main Jianzhou Jurchen force began to advance. In the past, they would have restrained their momentum, only charging and striking when they drew near. But this time, they held nothing back. After a brief moment of assembly and confirming their direction, they charged straight down. Thousands of troops spread out, shouting and roaring, their momentum vast and mighty, like a mountain torrent bursting forth.

The first to open fire were the cannons advanced on the right flank. The ten two-pounders and four three-pounders fired in succession. In the situation before them, there was no need to consider precision or lethality. From the very start, the Jianzhou Jurchen had already dispersed their formation, making it impossible for cannonballs to inflict mass casualties on dense crowds.

Still, the dozen or so cannons fired in rough rotation, cannonballs slamming down, sending earth and stone flying, bouncing up, then falling again. The carnage they caused was sufficient. Every cannonball that landed was sure to send blood spraying and draw miserable shrieks and howls.

Over this rugged terrain, the cannons had not had time to get fully into position. After two volleys, the Jianzhou Jurchen vanguard had already charged to the front. But what stood before them now was not the mere hundred-odd arquebuses of the Pi Island Soldier Battalion, but a full four hundred and more from the reinforcements.

The first rank fired, the second rank fired. Within the range of the arquebuses, it was as if an invisible wall blocked the Jianzhou Jurchen's forward momentum. The Eight Banners soldiers fell ceaselessly before this wall, and as the charge continued, the wall shifted backward, and the Eight Banners soldiers continued to fall.

The cannons in the artillery position had already adjusted their angles and fired another volley. No matter how dispersed the formation was during the charge, they had to converge just before and during contact. This volley of cannon fire caused immense casualties. Combined with the continuous fire of over four hundred arquebuses, the Jianzhou Jurchen's forward formation had been hollowed out.

They had lost a third of their force in the charge alone. Even an iron army could not withstand that, let alone these few thousand Jurchen troops left to hold the island. After this volley of cannon fire, those behind frantically tried to halt their steps, yet were still pushed and shoved forward. For now, they were outside arquebus range, and the cannons would not be ready to fire again for a moment, but they no longer dared to advance. To advance was only death. Better to flee; living a little longer was always good.

"Zhao Family Army, forward!" Pikes like a forest, advancing in unison. The Zhao Family Army's companies moved!

Thank you, everyone. These past few days of tidying up the house, both my body and my wallet have lost quite a bit of flesh. Once I'm settled, I'll take it slow. My life is getting more and more regular now.