Chapter 1362: The Vast Difference Between Tension and Ease

Cannonballs that did not fall short grazed the cavalry's bodies — any flesh they touched was carried away and shattered. Some struck the horses; the powerful, sturdy steeds bent at grotesque angles and crashed into nearby comrades.

The ranks of the Jianzhou Jurchen cavalry fell into momentary chaos. These landing troops' cannons were truly devastating. Yet the momentum of the cavalry charge did not stop. After one volley, who knew when the second would come? They had to exploit this gap, charge right up to them, and hack these inexplicable reinforcements to pieces!

The cannons rapidly elevated their angles. Zhao Family Army gunners, with movements honed to perfection, readied and reloaded — then the second volley fired.

This time, it was the rear ranks of the cavalry that suffered. Because no one expected the second volley to come so fast, the Jianzhou Jurchen cavalry had begun to spread out, then clustered together again. The cannonballs plunged into the crowd, the carnage hardly less than before — men thrown, horses overturned, howls of agony and chaos.

Those charging at the front instinctively glanced around, wondering: did these reinforcements have more cannons, or had that strange cannon on the ship fired again?

No! From the right flank of that thin-looking square formation before them, four cannons belched smoke once more. These cannons fired so quickly!

But at this distance, there was no possibility of retreating or scattering. The only choice was to keep charging forward. Once they closed in, there was no way these reinforcements could hold.

From the moment they formed up to meet the enemy, Zhuang Liu's expression had been deathly serious. Even the thrill of a decisive battle could not be shown before his subordinates — it would unsettle morale and affect the fight.

But now, a smile crept onto Zhuang Liu's face. The battle's course had slipped into the Zhao Family Army's rhythm. Every engagement, every enemy facing the Zhao Family Army for the first time, made the same choices and reactions.

No one imagined firearms could possess such power, such range and rate of fire. And everyone took the Zhao Family Army for Ming troops, or slightly stronger Ming troops. Everyone's impression of firearms — even the Ming army's own — was stuck at the Ming army's level.

Once committed to the charge, even after witnessing the power, momentum made stopping impossible. To stop meant either the whole force collapsing or trampling each other — both utterly disastrous outcomes.

The Jianzhou Jurchen cavalry's formation was no longer as tight as at the start, but they could not spread out either. The enemy front they had to strike was too narrow; spreading out would only send them charging into the sea.

Not only Zhuang Liu smiled — even the arquebusiers in the front ranks looked equally at ease. They had seen this process far too many times.

The Jianzhou Jurchen cavalry entered arquebus range. Company commanders barked orders, and the first rank of arquebuses fired. The leading Jianzhou Jurchen cavalry instinctively raised their arms to shield their faces — by past experience, that was enough, enough to keep iron pellets from spraying into their eyes. Yet in their hearts they sensed it might not be enough. Horses were hit, shrieking in pain, collapsing and rolling. Riders were hit, their whole bodies struck as if by some invisible force, toppling straight from the saddle.

But the main body of cavalry still pressed forward. The second rank of arquebuses fired. The front ranks thinned further. The Jianzhou Jurchen cavalry raged — it was only a few dozen paces! Why weren't they scattering? Why weren't they fleeing? In moments they would be upon them, killing! Yet the arquebusiers before them did not even tremble. There were even smiles on their faces. They just fired, fired, fired, with such steadiness!

By the time the fifth rank of arquebuses fired, the Jianzhou Jurchen cavalry's charge had slowed to a crawl. Watching comrades and horses falling endlessly ahead, those behind had no wish to rush to their deaths. Even their mounts were instinctively decelerating. Their bravery and ferocity had limits. When the other side was equally resolute and fierce — even surpassing them — the Jianzhou Jurchen cavalry began to shrink back. They were human too; they cared just as much about life and death.

The rear ranks of the Jianzhou cavalry were already beyond arquebus range, but they had forgotten the cannons. By now, the four cannons had readjusted their elevation and bearing, and fired again!

This volley shattered the last shreds of courage in the cavalrymen's hearts. No one dared charge forward anymore. Yet they still hesitated. The Jianzhou Jurchen troops were fierce — partly because the wildness of the White Mountains and Black Waters had not yet faded from them, and partly because of draconian military law. Fleeing in battle was a certain death sentence. Die now? Or be executed by military law after returning? A hard choice indeed!

"Arquebus formation — advance thirty paces and fire!" Such an order came from the opposite side. They saw those reinforcement soldiers carrying arquebuses running swiftly forward.

Running forward? Soldiers with firearms dared to run forward? The sight made the Jianzhou Jurchen cavalry gape in disbelief. When those arquebus-wielding reinforcements ran forward, halted, and formed an equally orderly formation, then fired again — now everyone was within range...

With bows and arrows, shafts fired from beyond range could even be caught by hand. But with these arquebuses, within range the slaughter was horrific; beyond range, the lead bullets were not harmless — their trajectories merely strayed, yet they could still kill.

Rhythmic drumbeats sounded. They saw those four not-so-large pike squares advance. Infantry, facing cavalry, dared to charge forward?

There were far too many things they did not understand. But no one wanted to, and no one dared to, keep pondering here. Retreat. Flee. If you didn't want to die, you had to leave — fast.

The sound of arquebuses had ceased. Only the cannons still fired, at a tempo faster than the Jurchen cannons. On the battlefield, apart from the screams and muffled thuds of those struck, everything else was eerily quiet.

The main force of the Jianzhou Jurchen continued pressing forward. It was not that the cavalry had fallen back, so they must fall back too. In this situation, the landing had to be stopped.

One by one, the sampans drew near the shore. These men did not need to storm the beach — they simply jumped from the sampans. Pike soldiers used their pikes to brace themselves in the chest- and waist-deep seawater, supporting one another as they waded ashore.

Arquebuses and gunpowder, however, could not get wet. The soldiers entered the water in thin clothing, using ropes to drag the sampans ashore. The boats carried arquebuses and ammunition, along with dry cloths for wiping down — precisely so they could immediately join the fight.

The three larger ships grounded on the mudflats were not idle either. Braziers were carried down from them, so the arquebusiers could prepare to fire. Others jumped down with axes, chisels, and saws, and set to work directly on the ships' bows. They needed to saw open the forward hulls — only then could they haul out the cannons from within.

The eight companies of the 1st Brigade's 2nd Regiment, led by Zhuang Liu, had already advanced a hundred paces. They raised the great banner of the Zhao Family Army. Soldiers landing behind them converged toward that banner, forming into squares beneath it. The Jianzhou Jurchen soldiers ahead were drawing closer and closer.

Not all the Jianzhou Jurchen cavalry scattered and fled. Compared to the various enemies the Zhao Family Army had faced, most of them returned to their main formation. The main body of Jianzhou Jurchen infantry did not pause for a moment. The various niru split and merged, already shifting into battle formation. Archers ran swiftly to the front, while cavalry moved to the army's flanks, continuing their advance.

"They are Tartars, after all — far stronger than Ming troops or roving bandits," Zhuang Liu remarked with admiration. He glanced back. Behind him, there were now over ten pike companies, but only one additional arquebus company. As for cannons, they had two more one-pounder light guns than before — firepower not much greater than earlier.

If the Jianzhou Jurchen were as fierce as rumor said, six light cannons and a few hundred arquebuses could not stop a charge of several thousand. No matter how strong the Zhao Family Army's firepower, the enemy would still reach them.

After all, the Jianzhou cavalry just now had numbered only a few hundred. A head-on battering made the losses starkly clear. But against a main force of thousands, the current number of cannons and arquebuses could at most throw them into disorder — it could not truly hurt them.

Zhuang Liu glanced beside him. One of his personal guards carried a bow on his back. Zhuang Liu was famed for his archery, and he always brought his own bow to the battlefield. Compared to fighting and killing with a pike, Zhuang Liu preferred drawing his bow and picking off enemies one by one at long range. He had also become quite adept with the Zhao Family Army's arquebuses. Unlike the Zhao Family Army soldiers who initially resisted firearms, Zhuang Liu was keenly interested in them and had even helped draft the shooting manual.

But this moment was not the time for bow or arquebus. Zhuang Liu smiled, swung the long halberd in his hand, and bellowed: "Brothers — let's go kill some Tartars!"

Many soldiers who had just come ashore were still dripping water. Hearing this, they all roared and clamored. Even the drummers and buglers joined in the excitement. For a moment, the scene was raucous.

Raucous as it was, the main force still formed its battle array in perfect order. After so many battles, from officers and NCOs down to the rank-and-file — whether through actual combat experience or through shared lessons — they all knew: the Zhao Family Army's fighting strength came from its formations. Without formation, there was danger!

When the Zhao Family Army set out from Dengzhou, they had also recruited quite a few former soldiers from the Liao garrison. Not to fight, but to serve as guides. Though many of their accounts were rather exaggerated, for the Zhao Family Army — setting foot in Liaodong for the first time, facing the Jianzhou Jurchen for the first time — they were still very useful.

Several guides had just come ashore with them. Among the guides were farmhands from agricultural estates, as well as refugees and deserters from Dengzhou Prefecture. When the Jianzhou Jurchen charged earlier, the guides of farmhand origin turned pale and trembled all over, yet still managed to stand their ground with forced composure. But those recruited from Dengzhou Prefecture turned and fled. However, the landing was on the mudflats — the only way to run was into the sea. They had just splashed into the water when they heard the roar of firearms behind them. Looking back, they saw the Jianzhou Jurchen cavalry, whom they had feared like tigers, utterly routed — only billowing gunsmoke, only screams ringing out, and then the Jianzhou Jurchen cavalry fleeing in disarray, leaving the ground littered with corpses.

This outcome left the Liaodong refugees from Dengzhou Prefecture dumbstruck. Yet even so, they dared not come back ashore. They could already see the main Jianzhou Jurchen force bearing down. So few men on the shore, such an overwhelming force opposite — there was simply no way to fight this. They were not willing to go and throw their lives away.