Chapter 852: The Entire Army Advances

But Guerrilla Commander Wei dared not refuse to pursue. He had already lost immense face and suffered terrible misfortune; if enemy cavalry attacked and his own forces remained indifferent, who knew what crimes would be laid at his feet afterward.

The government cavalry had only just ridden out when they heard muffled booms and explosive cracks behind them, along with panicked shouts from their own main formation. Could it be that this bandit cavalry still had a follow-up move? Then everyone had best prioritize caution and absolutely not make any rash moves. But when they turned around, they saw thick black smoke billowing up from the right flank of the formation where the bandit cavalry had just charged through.

Everyone knew something had been burned just now, and they had seen smoke and dust rising, but nothing as dense as this. What exactly was going on?

Only after returning did they learn the truth. Just as everyone was about to put out the fire, they saw gunpowder scattered all over the ground. Everyone scrambled to clean it up—if it caught a spark, it would be a huge disaster. But no one expected that those oilpaper packets tossed carelessly among the black powder would suddenly start smoking and catch fire.

Once the black powder touched flame, it instantly burst into violent combustion, hissing as it spread in all directions. Everyone cried out in alarm and dodged away. The powder was scattered unevenly—in some places it merely burned, while in others it exploded. Fortunately, the bandits probably didn't understand the method; they hadn't ignited the powder directly, or else it would have blown up at once!

Those oilpaper packets were also burned to ash, so naturally no one knew that inside were layers of flammable oilpaper wrapped around incense sticks, along with some incense ash packed in. There was a technique to the binding—the oilpaper packet allowed air through but wouldn't let the lit incense burn too fast and ignite prematurely. This was a fire-starting method used in the jianghu, yet it had been employed here.

Guerrilla Commander Wei Pingfang spurred his horse to the front of the artillery position. Looking at the ground in complete disarray, he saw the Shandong artillerymen all with faces full of despair, saying over and over, "All ruined, all ruined. Now we can't fire a single cannon."

"These bandits are truly vicious." Hearing a low voice behind him, he turned to look—it was Baoding Regional Commander Lu Qin, who had come over to this side.

Guerrilla Commander Wei hesitated a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "My lord, these bandits are like wolves and tigers. No wonder the Southern Zhili troops couldn't handle them. I fear that even if we fight, it can only end in a pyrrhic victory. We'd be better off withdrawing first to Jining Prefecture, waiting for Shandong reinforcements, and then planning our next move once we have absolute certainty."

"No need to say pyrrhic victory. Just say we're not confident of winning."

Hearing Regional Commander Lu Qin reply like this, Wei Pingfang's expression changed. He thought to himself, is he still going to press this relentlessly? But when he looked over, he realized he had misjudged. Baoding Regional Commander Lu Qin's face was full of bitter smiles. Seeing Wei Pingfang look at him, Lu Qin sighed and said, "I said earlier that if the bandit army withdrew without fighting, our pursuit would surely be a great victory. But have you considered this—if we retreat now, and the bandit army comes charging in pursuit, what will the outcome be?"

This time Guerrilla Commander Wei Pingfang's face paled dramatically. Regional Commander Lu Qin continued, "If such ferocious bandits pursue and attack, our army will certainly collapse in rout. I fear that when the time comes, you and I will have nothing but our heads and our official posts to answer to the court with!"

"Then what do we do?"

"For now, the only plan is to fight them in an open, pitched battle. You already led a sudden raid against them—what is the scale of the bandit army?" Lu Qin asked gravely.

When common folk see a grand military display, they naturally say it's several thousand or tens of thousands, even shouting out numbers like a million. But military officers, relying on experience and passed-down knowledge, can estimate fairly accurately by observing the formation. Wei Pingfang pondered for a moment and said, "The bandit army's formation is tight and orderly, but their numbers won't exceed five thousand."

Regional Commander Lu Qin nodded and said, "The bandit cavalry numbers no more than five hundred, and their infantry no more than five thousand. Our army still holds the advantage. Besides, looking at how they fight, they're recklessly bold but lack tactical sense. If they had charged straight into the central army just now, the damage would likely have been far greater. Yet they only focused on the cannons. Against such blood-courage desperadoes, as long as we keep our nerve and slowly press them down, there may yet be a chance for victory."

At this point, Regional Commander Lu Qin glanced at Guerrilla Commander Wei Pingfang and spoke again, "Moreover, if the bandit army continues advancing, it will still be some time before they reach us. That gives our cavalry exactly the time to rest and for us to set our formations. When the bandit army arrives, our troops can still meet them fresh and rested. The infantry will engage in close combat, and the cavalry will seize the moment to strike. We still have a chance to win."

Guerrilla Commander Wei Pingfang let out a long breath, then slammed his right fist hard into his palm and said in a muffled voice, "Close combat is good. If we can lock them in close combat, won't the bandits' firearms and bows be useless?"

"The bandits have firearms and bows too?" Regional Commander Lu Qin asked. When Guerrilla Commander Wei Pingfang had led the cavalry back earlier, the two sides hadn't yet had time to communicate.

Wei Pingfang nodded with an ugly expression and said in a low voice, "Dozens, maybe a hundred bird guns, and at least two hundred bows. Extremely deadly."

"That many bows?" Baoding Regional Commander Lu Qin drew in a sharp breath, then shook his head and said, "If we can lock them in close combat, those things indeed can't be brought to bear. If we can force the bandit army to retreat, we'll at least have something to show for this."

At first they had called them "rioting mobs and bandit rabble," but now they called them the "bandit army." At first they had thought of total victory and annihilation, but now they only thought of forcing a retreat.

"Guerrilla Commander Wei, your cavalry will be placed under my command. Only by combining them into one force will we have strength!" Regional Commander Lu Qin said finally.

Guerrilla Commander Wei Pingfang's expression grew even uglier, but at this moment, he had no standing to object. In the end, he just nodded sullenly.

Officers at all levels of the government army grew tense, barking furious orders and mustering the ranks. No one dared slacken in the slightest. Looking southward, the cavalry that had just charged over suddenly and then withdrawn just as suddenly was still kicking up dust. This battle with the bandits was probably not going to be as easy as they had imagined. Government scouts were sent out once more, keeping a tight watch on movements in every direction. If the bandit army launched a sneak attack from another direction now, it would be a huge disaster.

About half a shichen passed like this, and the tense atmosphere actually eased somewhat. In the end, they still hadn't seen the main enemy force—they'd only glimpsed it from the sorry state of the routed cavalry, and they'd witnessed the bandit cavalry coming and going like the wind. But the real slaughter hadn't yet begun. As they settled down and looked at their own army's imposing might, their confidence gradually returned.

"They're coming! The bandits are coming!" A mounted rider came galloping back, shouting. The government army formation, after a moment of clamor, suddenly fell silent. Setting out from Baoding Prefecture and various places in Shandong, gathering together and marching south—now at last they were about to face the "Xuzhou rioters."

The government scouts sent out earlier all pulled back in retreat. A few bold ones lingered behind to skirmish, seeing if they could shoot down the bandits' forward scouts.

By now, everyone could finally see clearly just what skill the bandit scouts possessed. Excellent horsemanship, expert archery, and their mounted blade-work was in no way inferior to the government scouts. What was even more outstanding was the bandit cavalry's ability to divide, advance, and strike together in mutual coordination—this was something the government troops could not match. But the government scouts were also the army's elite, so they did not fall behind.

At this stage, the skirmishing between the light cavalry on both sides no longer mattered. It was merely mutual intimidation, keeping the other side from getting too close and harassing the main formation. Everyone knew that what came next would be the true great battle and slaughter.

The shouts and orders of the officers, the hoofbeats of the light cavalry, and the orderly sound of footsteps coming from the opposite side—all of this actually made the scene seem very quiet. But the breathing of the government troops, from top to bottom, was gradually growing rapid. And what was that fine, rhythmic drumming sound? It made their hearts flutter with unease.

Far off, they could already see that great banner in the enemy formation—black border, red field, radiating a murderous aura. Someone in the government ranks muttered, "What kind of colors are those? No proper standards at all." But no one echoed him. Instead, many subconsciously swallowed, all very tense.

Baoding Regional Commander Lu Qin, observing the formation from high ground, couldn't help wiping the sweat from his forehead. He had thought his own troops were sufficiently disciplined and orderly, but how was it that the bandit army's ranks looked like solid blocks—square and precise, seamless and tight? There weren't many banners, but those long spears were a dense, forbidding forest!

"Beat the drums! Beat the drums! Bolster our army's might!" Regional Commander Lu Qin bellowed.

The government army's war drums boomed to life. This sound was far louder than that fine, rhythmic drumming, and its imposing force was immense. Ox-hide great drums hauled on large carts, struck by specially assigned strongmen—the entire battlefield could hear it clearly.

The mood among the government infantry ranks gradually swelled, and their earlier nervousness and fear eased. The reason was simple: the bandits didn't look very numerous. A few thousand men, whether in loose or tight formation, could cover vastly different areas. The Zhao Battalion's pike squares were tightly packed, while the government troops were relatively spread out—so naturally, they felt the enemy was fewer in number.

On the battlefield, victory or defeat often hinged on the number of soldiers. Seeing the enemy appear weak and outnumbered, their confidence naturally swelled. As was customary, the government infantry at the front began loudly taunting and cursing. These men were all veteran soldiers and scoundrels; foul and obscene language rolled off their tongues with ease.

In contrast, the Zhao Battalion facing them was much quieter. The Personal Guard Regiment was the first to take its position on the battlefield. Drum and suona horn sounded the signals, and the other two regiments advanced in sequence, forming up on the Zhao Battalion's left flank. The First Great Brigade took up a support position behind the one regiment and two battalions. Then the arquebusiers and archers strode swiftly forward, forming a loose skirmish line in front of the three pike squares, methodically beginning their preparations. It had to be said, after the cavalry charge just now, the Firearms Regiment had gained a measure of calm composure.

As for the mounted household retainers who had just returned to the main force, they rode in a wide arc, keeping their distance from the Personal Guard Regiment on the far right, and slightly to the rear, also standing still in formation.

On this battlefield, at last there was no more movement of large bodies of troops. It gradually grew quiet, and the dust they had kicked up settled. The two sides were about four hundred paces apart, and at last they could see each other clearly.

By this time, the government soldiers' cursing and chatter grew quieter. Seeing the enemy's strict and orderly formation, seeing the armor and gear they wore—who still had the heart to mock and jeer?

"Damn it all, we look like the bandit rabble instead!" Beneath the great banner, Baoding Regional Commander Lu Qin cursed under his breath.

"The enemy has no cannons now. We can fight them in an open, honorable battle." Zhao Jin said with a smile. No one around him heard these words.

"Pass my order: the arquebusier retainers and archers are to advance in sequence. Fire two volleys within range, then withdraw to the flanks of the pike squares and advance together with the main force." A messenger from the personal guard ran off at a swift pace.

Zhao Jin drew a deep breath, raised the long spear in his hand, and bellowed again, "Pass my order: the entire army, advance!"

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