Chapter 127: Why Can the Imperial Army Not Defeat the Tartars?

"Sir, things have come to this; what else is there to hesitate about?"

"If we cannot wipe out these remnants of the Fragrant Incense Sect as soon as possible, that would be a dereliction of duty toward the poor commoners in the vicinity!"

Zhang Zhiji was growing anxious, speaking in a low, sharp tone to Li Yuanjing.

Clearly, the 'civil-friendly performance' Li Yuanjing had orchestrated for him earlier had fostered a sense of attachment toward the people of Fengcheng.

Li Yuanjing had been waiting precisely for this cue from Zhang Zhiji. No longer concealing his intent, he whispered:

"Young Duke, it is not difficult to break these remnants of the Fragrant Incense Sect now!"

"Do you see? The wind is strong today, and it is blowing primarily from the northwest. We can order men to quickly gather firewood from all around and set fires on all four sides of this Liu family middle courtyard!"

"When that happens, we shall hold the north, east, and west sides firmly, leaving only the south side open as an escape route. Unable to bear the smoke and flames, these remnants will inevitably attempt to break out from the south. At that moment, our elite troops can lie in ambush on the south side and slaughter them all!"

"It is what is known as 'besieging three sides while leaving one open'!"

"Brilliant!"

"Brilliant!"

"Simply brilliant!"

Zhang Zhiji, having read military treatises, grasped Li Yuanjing’s strategy instantly and was overjoyed. "Sir, your talent is immense—truly immense! It is far beyond my reach! Let us do exactly this! We shall eliminate these remnants of the Fragrant Incense Sect first, and then rush to put out the fire!"

...

As Li Yuanjing and Zhang Zhiji reached an agreement, the plan was put into motion immediately.

Before long, a large number of soldiers had piled a significant amount of firewood on all four sides of the Liu family middle courtyard. Since it was winter, the commoners might have lacked many things, but firewood was never among them.

At this moment, Li Yuanjing whispered to the 'Red-Haired Bird' subordinate of Feng Da:

"The people inside—is 'A Wall' Zhang Kewang among them?!"

"Pah!"

"You dog-brained pretty boy, I—"

"If you dare speak another word of nonsense to me, I will have you castrated right now and sent to the palace to serve as a eunuch!"

The Red-Haired Bird was about to continue his insolence, but was cut off by Li Yuanjing’s fierce roar.

"Shwing!"

Nearby, Zhuzi, Kuizi, and the others swiftly drew the blades from their waists.

"This..."

The Red-Haired Bird felt a chill run through his groin. He had never imagined that this pretty-boy Li Yuanjing could be so vicious. He did not fear death, but if Li Yuanjing really had him castrated like a piglet...

The Red-Haired Bird could not even bear to imagine the scene. He swallowed hard and said:

"Yes, it is 'A Wall' Zhang Kewang, and 'Dragon Crossing the River' Zhao Baitiao. Both of them have grudges against me, so I can confirm they are there. As for anyone else, I cannot say for sure... Mmph, mmmph!"

However, as soon as the Red-Haired Bird finished speaking and was about to add more, Li Yuanjing waved his hand. Zhuzi, Kuizi, and the others stepped forward and shoved a stinking sock into his mouth to silence him.

...

On this side, following an exchange of glances between Li Yuanjing and Zhang Zhiji, the latter, invigorated, ordered Zhang Wuwei in a low voice:

"Light the fires!"

"Understood!"

Soon, flames surged on all four sides of the Liu family middle courtyard, causing the remnants of the Fragrant Incense Sect inside to howl in alarm.

However, although the northwest wind was strong, there was not much smoke. After all, the firewood in commoners' homes was their lifeline for surviving the winter; it had been well-protected and was not damp.

Zhang Zhiji grew anxious and whispered to Li Yuanjing:

"Sir, what is happening? Why is there so much smoke elsewhere, yet we have none here?"

Li Yuanjing, having everything under control, smiled faintly:

"Young Duke, do not worry. I have sent men to add some 'ingredients,' and it will be ready soon."

As he spoke, Li Yuanjing whispered a few words to Zhuzi. Zhuzi immediately took his men toward the rear courtyard of the Liu mansion in the north.

Before long, thick, rolling smoke, carrying the scent of rotten wood and withered leaves, rose rapidly into the sky. The remnants of the Fragrant Incense Sect within the middle courtyard began to cough violently.

Zhang Zhiji was dumbfounded and asked Li Yuanjing:

"Sir, what... what is this exactly? Do you truly possess immortal arts?"

Li Yuanjing laughed:

"Young Duke, this is not sorcery, but merely a little trick."

"Look, why do the commoners' houses outside produce such thick smoke?"

"It is primarily because their houses are built largely of wood. With the heavy snow of the past few days, this wood has long since become damp. Once set aflame, how could it not produce smoke?"

"The north gate is the same principle. Adding some damp, rotting leaves and wood is sufficient."

"This... this... this..."

The scientific level of this era had yet to truly see the dawn of enlightenment. Hearing Li Yuanjing's explanation, Zhang Zhiji wanted to say something, but could not find the words.

Beyond admiration for Li Yuanjing, what else could he possibly say?

...

"These government dogs are too poisonous! Brothers, if you want to live, charge with me! Let’s carve out a path of blood!"

"Kill!"

"Follow the Second Master and kill the government dogs!"

Soon, the rolling smoke from the northwest seemed to engulf the world, and the remnants of the Fragrant Incense Sect could no longer endure the middle courtyard. Accompanied by ferocious, desperate shouts, the main gate was suddenly thrown open, and men began to rush out.

"Fire!"

However, the musketeers under Zhang Wuwei had been prepared for a long time. Just as these men rushed out, before they could even form their lines, the sharp, shrill reports of muskets rang out.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Ah—"

In an instant, it seemed as if even the gods and Buddhas in the heavens dared not look upon the scene.

Dozens of muskets fired in unison. The dozen or so valiant remnants of the Fragrant Incense Sect who had rushed out became living targets, collapsing in blood in a truly miserable fashion.

But Li Yuanjing frowned as he watched.

Was this not a pure waste of firepower?

If you empty all your bullets in one volley like this, what will you do when the rest of the remnants rush out?

Do you not even know the most basic 'two-stage firing' technique?

However, Li Yuanjing had no time to instruct the musketeers to prepare for a second volley before a roar erupted from behind the middle gate:

"Brothers, the government dogs' guns are useless now! If you want to live, follow me and charge!"

"Charge!"

"Follow the Second Master and charge!"

A moment later, a burly man with a full beard, standing nearly two meters tall, led the way brandishing a large spiked club. Thirty or forty men rushed out like a stampeding herd, hacking and slashing in all directions.

"Fire arrows!"

"Fire arrows!"

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Even though Zhang Wuwei had prepared dozens of archers, the effectiveness of bows and arrows—especially those of the Han people—was ultimately lacking and could not compare to the power of muskets.

While few of these bandits wore iron armor, many wore padded armor. They stubbornly withstood the barrage of the imperial archers and scattered, quickly carving out significant space.

At this moment, more bandits continued to pour out from the middle gate.

The morale of the bandits soared.

Even though Zhang Wuwei had substantial forces on standby, many government soldiers who had been waiting long enough charged directly at the bandits.

But the battlefield had already descended into complete chaos; it was impossible to distinguish friend from foe.

To a certain extent, these bandits, desperate for survival, were fighting with even greater ferocity and recklessness!

Li Yuanjing could not help but shake his head continuously.

These were supposed to be the most elite troops of the Great Qian Dynasty!

Not only did they include the legendary 'Yi Ding' shock cavalry under Zhang Wuwei, but even the ordinary infantry were elites from the Capital Garrison, the Emperor’s own Imperial Guards!

Yet...

When they clearly held the absolute initiative and had the advantage of a surprise attack, why was the fighting so difficult?

This finally made Li Yuanjing understand.

Why, on the Liaodong battlefield, the legendary Great Qian elites were always unable to defeat those wild, bloodthirsty Tatars!