Chapter 1361: Jinzhou, Jianzhou, Xuzhou

Shells fell among the Jianzhou Jurchen ranks. The defenders on the wall watched flesh and blood fly through the Jurchen formations — a single cannon shot practically blasted open a path of blood.

The Jianzhou Jurchen army formation instantly fell into chaos. Officers roared for the men to scatter and fall back. The Jianzhou Jurchen Eight Banners soldiers dispersed, but the troops at the cannon battery also tried to flee, only to be cut down with blades. A company commander could be seen gesturing with his sword, forcing the cannon battery soldiers to turn back and man the artillery. It seemed they still intended to use the cannons to hold the line.

White smoke could be seen continuously billowing from the gunwales and decks of the ships at sea — cannons firing. What puzzled the Jinzhou defenders was the firing rate from the sea; it was far too fast. At first they thought many cannons were firing simultaneously, but on closer inspection there were only twenty-some pieces. The firing interval was several times faster than the Jurchens' two cannons.

Shells rained down ceaselessly on the position. Most missed, but whenever one hit — even landing near the Jurchen formations — it sent sand and stones spraying in great bursts, and many men screamed and collapsed. Worse still, the shells bounced after impact. Many Jianzhou soldiers thought they had dodged, only to have their bodies obliterated by the ricocheting shot.

The Jianzhou Jurchen troops could only keep scattering, keep retreating — there was no other way to avoid it. The soldiers manning the Jurchens' two cannons fled in a steady stream. When two shells landed nearby, they lost all will to hold on. Ignoring the threats of the Jurchen officers behind them, they simply scattered in panic. Some tried to stop them, but the artillerymen struck them down with ramrods and trail spikes and fled without looking back.

The sight filled the defenders on the wall with immense satisfaction. Yet no one spoke of sallying out to intercept. Wherever a shell landed, it left a huge crater, kicking up earth and stones. Everyone could see those flying fragments strike the Tartars, punching holes straight through them, blood gushing forth. Who would dare go out there to die?

But the shells were coming from the sea after all. Even though the cannons' range exceeded anything the defenders or the Jianzhou Jurchens had imagined, falling back still allowed them to evade. Once they judged the range limit, they began regrouping their forces.

"At this rate, it'll be nothing but a tug-of-war. The Tartars are blocking the harbor — they can't get ashore!"

Anyone who understood warfare could see the current situation. The Jianzhou Jurchens had contracted their lines but had not collapsed. If the ships just kept bombarding, so be it. But if they wanted to land, the cannon fire would have to stop. At that moment, the Jianzhou Jurchen units would surge forward to block them, seize the harbor, and prevent them from coming ashore. If the ships opened fire again, they would simply fall back once more. In such a drawn-out stalemate, the Jianzhou Jurchens on land had the greater composure and confidence.

Even if the entire Jinzhou garrison sallied out to pin them down, under the current circumstances it would be useless. The Jianzhou Jurchens' advantage of over seven thousand men was simply too great — they could split their forces and still block the landing.

Chen Jisheng, Zhang Pan, and the Jinzhou officers understood this clearly. To ease the current situation, the men on the ships absolutely had to get ashore.

Before they could come up with a plan, someone suddenly shouted again: "Ships are charging in!"

Ships? Charging in? Hearing this at first, everyone was utterly baffled, not knowing what to make of it. But then they saw it. The wind was blowing from west to east, and three large ships, all under full sail, were charging straight toward the shore.

Had they gone mad? Ahead of the ships was no dock or berth. Even if there had been a berth, such speed would have meant a collision. What's more, they were charging toward the tidal flats — gravel-strewn tidal flats. The moment they hit, they would run aground. Worse, they might smash their hulls against the reef rocks.

The defenders on the wall stared dumbfounded. The Jianzhou Jurchen troops arrayed in tight formation below the wall stared dumbfounded too, utterly clueless as to what the other side was doing.

Just as everyone expected, the ships plowed onto the gravel flats and ran aground. Whether they struck the large rocks on the flats, no one could tell. But everyone could more or less confirm one thing: these ships were probably never returning to the sea.

What were they doing? No sooner had the shock set in than rope nets were thrown down from the decks of those three ships. Men surged out and clambered down the nets. Once standing on the flats, they formed up in simple order and began running this way. These Xuzhou men were truly madmen, using such a method to land.

By this point, the Jianzhou Jurchen forces had also reacted. Now that the enemy was landing, the cannons would surely fall silent. They had to seize this moment to drive the enemy back into the sea. This momentum was dangerous — if it continued, who knew what devilry might follow.

The Zhao Family Army troops who had landed did not run far; they merely formed up ahead. The three ships had carried a considerable number of soldiers — from a distance, it looked to be nearly a thousand men, arrayed there in dense square formations.

The Jianzhou Jurchen army began to move. Cavalry took the lead, infantry formed ranks, and they advanced swiftly toward the harbor. The soldiers manning those two cannons had already fled. Now it would come down to cold steel — a true fight of blade against blade. In such combat, the Jianzhou Jurchen soldiers had always been brimming with confidence.

The ships that had charged onto the gravel flats were large enough. Even after so many men had disembarked, there were still things being unloaded, though they were too far away to make out clearly. But who had the attention for such details now? Just charge — reach the enemy and the brave would win.

"Do we sally out or not?" Zhang Pan asked instinctively. The Jurchen force that had come to Jinzhou was fighting with great caution. Even with their main strength moving to block the landing, they had still left enough battalions behind to keep an eye on Jinzhou.

Chen Jisheng gazed toward the gravel flats, momentarily speechless. At this point, whether the Jinzhou garrison sallied out or not was no longer the decisive factor.

"No need to go out. There's no need for us to go out," Chen Jisheng murmured.

Now the defenders on the wall could only see the backs of the main Jianzhou Jurchen force. The Xuzhou troops who had disembarked and landed were far too few in number. Could they withstand the Tartar elite soldiers, who outnumbered them several times over? Every Jinzhou defender was worried about this.

"Brothers, we have to hold our ground on this shore! Only if we hold can the main force come ashore! No matter how many Tartars come, we hold!" Zhuang Liu roared.

The eight companies of the First Brigade's Second Regiment formed the first landing echelon. When Zhuang Liu selected the companies, he had brought four musket companies and four pike companies.

At his words, the officers and soldiers below roared their assent. The main Jianzhou Jurchen force could be seen pressing toward them. Compared to the tight formations of the Zhao Family Army, the Jurchen host looked all the more overwhelming.

On the faces of the landed Zhao Family Army soldiers were tension, unease, but even more, excitement. Our Zhao Family Army has never met its match. These Tartars are famed for their ferocity — who is truly stronger? Today we shall see the truth of it.

Not just the company and platoon commanders — even Zhuang Liu himself, the Second Regiment commander, was forcing himself to stay calm. But besides excitement, he also felt a measure of tension. He had no doubt of the Zhao Family Army's victory, but only these eight companies had landed in the first wave. If anything went wrong, the loss of face would be enormous.

Zhuang Liu swept his gaze over the ranks. In both the pike companies and the musket formations, there were backbone members of the Prosperity Society. This gave him an extra measure of confidence. With these elite troops who feared neither death nor danger, no matter how strong the Tartars were, they would be no match.

The large ships at sea were lowering their launches one after another. Soldiers clambered down the rope nets, then rowed the launches toward the tidal flats and the shore. For a moment, the sea was dense with them — a magnificent sight.

The strategy had long been set; now it had to be carried out resolutely. It would be best if Zhuang Liu's companies could establish a beachhead. If not, the follow-up Zhao Family Army soldiers would break through the defenses and force their way ashore.

The advancing Jianzhou Jurchen battalions also saw the scene at sea. Orders were passed down the line, and the troops' pace quickened. The cavalry at the head began to run.

The gravel flats were troublesome for cavalry. The sharp stones did great damage to horses' hooves. The slightest misstep and a horse would be ruined — even with horseshoes, it was the same. But at this moment, no one could worry about the horses. The cavalry charged at speed, aiming to smash the enemy while only a few hundred had landed. Then the main force behind them would seize the flats and prevent the enemy from landing smoothly. Men had already been sent to round up the scattered artillerymen and bring the cannons back into action — that would completely block the enemy. Express riders had already been dispatched to call for reinforcements. This suddenly appearing enemy force was too powerful, their appearance too bizarre. Reinforcements were essential. Given the current situation, it would probably take a certain Beile leading troops in person to handle this.

From trot to canter, from gallop to full charge — the Jianzhou Jurchen cavalry were the elite of every unit. Facing the four landed square formations directly ahead, the cavalry had likewise split into several waves. The first would smash open the line, the next would plunge in and slaughter, wave after wave, until the enemy formation was utterly shattered.

Four not particularly thick cannons were pushed forward. The Jianzhou Jurchen cavalry charging at the very front had already spotted them, but many never even considered that these might be cannons. It was not that they had never seen cannons before — but the cannons they had seen were huge, bulky, clumsy things. Some did think these might be firearms, but after so many battles with the Ming army, they had long since learned from experience: the things such firearms spat out were at most frightening and choking; they caused no real harm.

The Jianzhou Jurchen cavalry even spotted the muskets up ahead. When the Jurchen horsemen saw the Zhao Family Army's firearms, smiles appeared on many faces. They had experience with firearms — firing wildly from far away, smoke billowing everywhere, yet hurting no one at all. Once you charged up close, the Ming soldiers holding those firearms would scatter and flee, and in doing so, they would disrupt and throw into chaos the comrades behind them.

Even if hit by such a firearm, as long as it was not a direct hit within a dozen paces, it was no worse than having a handful of sand thrown in your face — a stinging pain at most.

Everyone quickened their pace. Faster, even faster — charge up close, and all would be well. Seeing so many ships was terrifying, but in truth, they were merely delivering future prospects right to their doorsteps.

Amid the rumbling thunder of galloping hooves, the reports of the three-pounder and two-pounder cannons barely drew anyone's attention. It was as if those four flying cannonballs would have no effect whatsoever on the cavalry charge — mere flying gnats.

The cannonballs struck the formation. One shot missed, landing — by an extraordinary coincidence, one could even call it a miracle — in the gap between two riders. The startled Jianzhou Jurchen cavalryman had no time to feel relief before the cannonball bounced up and sheared off several horses' legs. The mounts simply collapsed, not even having time to scream in agony, carried forward by momentum into a tumbling roll. The riders, unable to throw themselves clear, were ground into bloody pulp in the tumble.