Chapter 125: Collaboration Between Officials and Bandits-Iron-Blooded Ming Dynasty(The Lonely Swordsman)

To be fair, even if Ajige was not a competent commander, and even if he had committed four unforgivable errors, the Jiannu iron cavalry remained the Jiannu iron cavalry—that invincible force on the open field.

Aside from the Great Ming’s chariot battalions, no army in the world had yet managed to withstand a charge from the Jiannu cavalry in open terrain. Even though the Jiannu cavalry were exhausted and significantly outnumbered, they still possessed more than enough strength to deal with the ragtag rebels. Though Ajige commanded only eight thousand horsemen, he was supremely confident that he could break Li Yan’s force of over fifty thousand rebels from the front.

The progress of the battle proved that Ajige’s confidence was well-founded.

Disdaining any flanking or encircling tactics, Ajige led his remaining seven thousand-plus iron cavalry in a direct charge. Like a monstrous tidal wave, they slammed viciously into the rebels’ massive circular defensive formation. The front lines erupted in chaos as men and horses collided, and the rebel formation was immediately gouged with a deep, crushing dent.

The rebels’ wooden spears, equipped with only a small number of iron tips, were utterly incapable of resisting the charge of the Jiannu heavy cavalry.

Although the rebel archers inflicted a fair share of casualties on the Jiannu, they were met with savage retaliation from the Jiannu light cavalry. When it came to archery, how could the rebels ever hope to compete? Under the relentless baptism of arrows from the Jiannu, the mere two thousand archers in the rebel center were quickly decimated.

At the vanguard, Ajige brandished a large iron spear he had snatched from a rebel, his left hand gripping the reins while his right swung the weapon. After skewering nine rebels in quick succession, Ajige let out a roar and hurled the heavy spear with all his might. It pierced through three more rebels before burying itself deep into the earth.

Witnessing such raw power, the rebels blocking his path parted like waves before a ship; none dared to stand in his way.

Caught in the frenzy of slaughter, Ajige tore off his mail armor and discarded his battle robe. With his scarred torso bared, he charged deep into the rebel ranks. Two hundred elite guards from the Plain White Banner followed him with fanatical devotion. Like a razor-sharp arrow, these two hundred horsemen easily carved through the rebels’ seemingly solid formation, driving straight for their command center.

In the rebel center, Li Yan appeared calm on the surface, but his heart was in turmoil. The sheer power of the Jiannu’s charge far exceeded his imagination. Never before had he conceived that such a terrifying cavalry force could exist in this world.

The rebel army had established a rigorous defensive formation, yet before the Jiannu, they were as fragile as paper. Li Yan could not imagine what the outcome might have been had they failed to set up such a defense, or if they had not possessed the advantage of numbers. Even with these advantages, the outlook for the rebel army remained grim.

The Jiannu’s assault was fierce, and the rebels’ dense formation was being severely compressed. Once that pressure exceeded their breaking point, the circular formation would collapse. When that happened, the fifty thousand rebels would crumble like a mountain, becoming nothing more than lambs for the Jiannu to slaughter.

Despite the dire situation, Li Yan could not conceive of a way to salvage it.

To him, this encounter had come too suddenly. He was prepared neither mentally nor tactically. Facing such an overwhelming opponent, even if the legendary General Yue Fei were alive, he would likely be at a loss.

In the face of absolute power, all schemes and strategies lose their utility. The Jiannu cavalry’s strength was simply too great; it was like a martial arts master fighting a commoner. No matter how large or brave the commoner might be, they could never defeat the master.

"Commander, the situation is looking grim."

"Commander, we must find a way. If we don’t, we’re finished."

Jing Maocheng and Li Xuan, both covered in blood, had returned to Li Yan’s side. They had done their best; to buy time for the center to organize, the Laoya and Gushan battalions had been decimated. The three thousand reinforcements they had just received were almost entirely wiped out, and they had even lost much of their core strength.

"Big brother, should we retreat?"

Li Hu was also soaked in blood. In the recent fighting, he had sustained over a dozen wounds. Fortunately, they were only flesh wounds—though they looked terrifying, his life was not in immediate danger.

"The outcome has not yet been decided. How can we speak of giving up so easily?"

Li Yan’s tone was calm, as if he were discussing something trivial, but inside, he let out a long sigh. Retreat? It was already too late. Ordering a retreat now would only cause the rebel army to collapse faster and suffer even more grievously. However, continuing to hold on would eventually lead to defeat; the only difference would be that it would happen later, and the Jiannu would suffer more losses.

Unless a miracle occurred, the destruction of the rebel army was inevitable.

Li Yan could not help but look back at the grey, hazy walls of Datong City, thinking with a sense of desolation: Would a miracle truly happen? Did miracles even exist in this world? In a flash, he seemed to see the rebel army crumbling in total defeat, and he seemed to see Red Maiden weeping over his corpse.

"My Lord, Li Yan has done all he could. This is where it ends. For the debt of saving my life and recognizing my talent, I can only hope to repay you in the next life..."

***

On the walls of Datong, Scarface let out a long sigh. "It’s over. The rebels are truly finished this time."

"Indeed," the Bearded Man said with regret. "The rebels are doomed."

"They are worthy of the name Jiannu," Zhao Xin said heavily. "With only seven or eight thousand cavalry, they have crushed Li Yan’s sixty thousand rebels from the front. Such power is truly terrifying!"

"True," Zhao Lijin agreed. "If it weren't for this, how could our Great Ming’s armies have been forced into constant retreat, losing cities and territories until all of Liaodong was gone? And the Battle of Songshan—even Governor Hong suffered defeat. If the General hadn't defied the odds and launched a surprise raid on Shengjing, I fear even Western Liaoning would be lost by now."

Wang Pu’s eyes flickered. He ignored the whispers of his generals, his thoughts unreadable.

In truth, Wang Pu’s plan was simple: he was waiting. He was waiting for the right moment, when the rebels and the Jiannu cavalry were both battered and exhausted, to emerge from the city and clean up the mess.

Of course, cleaning up did not mean wiping out both sides—the garrison in Datong lacked the strength for that, and Wang Pu did not want to. He still intended to "keep" Li Yan’s rebel faction for a while longer. This served as a justification for him to remain in command at Datong, and more importantly, it was to counter the main Jiannu army that would soon arrive.

Clearly, this Plain White Banner cavalry was merely the vanguard. By tonight at the latest, the main Jiannu force would reach Datong. With fewer than eight thousand government troops, the city was vulnerable.

Saving Li Yan’s rebels might not earn their gratitude, but it was certain that having them outside would cause trouble for the Jiannu, preventing them from attacking Datong as they pleased. At this critical juncture, any extra help increased the hope of holding the city.

After all, the defense of Datong concerned Wang Pu’s own life and fortune; he could not afford to be careless.

Seeing the rebels on the verge of collapse, Wang Pu finally decided to act.

As the generals whispered among themselves, Wang Pu suddenly roared, "Bearded Man! Scarface!"

The two stepped forward, responding sharply, "Here!"

Wang Pu commanded, "Lead your respective troops and sally out of the city immediately to attack the Jiannu cavalry."

"Ah?"

"What?"

"At this time?"

Not only were the Bearded Man and Scarface stunned, but other Ming officers like Zhao Xin and Zhao Lijin looked at each other in disbelief. They couldn't believe their ears. With the situation outside so perilous, why should the government troops risk themselves? Wouldn't it be better to let the rebels and the Jiannu destroy each other?

"Did you not hear me?" Wang Pu barked. "This is a military order!"

"Understood!"

Hearing the words "military order," the two men shivered and shouted their compliance.

Wang Pu added, "Go at once. And don't forget to have the men shout 'Slay the Slaves'!"

"Understood!"

The two turned and rushed away.

***

Only then did the Prefect of Datong, Wei Daben, recover from his shock. He walked up to Wang Pu and cautioned, "Prince Consort, have you considered the consequences of this?"

Wang Pu replied calmly, "What consequences could there be?"

Wei Daben looked left and right, lowering his voice. "Prince Consort, if the censors in the capital learn of this, they will stir up trouble before His Majesty, accusing you of intentionally aiding the rebels!"

"Stirring up trouble is their business," Wang Pu said. "What I do is my own. However, I thank you for your well-intentioned warning, Magistrate Wei. Through your distribution of porridge to the people at the West Gate, I have seen that you are a good official who truly acts for the people."

A flash of shame crossed Wei Daben’s face. He cupped his hands. "You flatter me, Prince Consort. I am unworthy of such praise."

Wang Pu smiled slightly, his expression turning serious. "Magistrate Wei, the Jiannu will not show mercy to the people of Ming as the rebels do. You should hurry to the West Gate and move the tens of thousands of refugees into the city as quickly as possible. If you are a few hours late, they will inevitably be slaughtered by the Jiannu."

"Ah!" Wei Daben gasped. "If not for your reminder, I would have made a grave mistake."

He bowed to Wang Pu and hurried away.

Outside the city, Ajige and his two hundred iron cavalry had reached the rebel center. Red Maiden’s cavalry, along with the remnants of Jing Maocheng’s and Li Xuan’s battalions, were fighting desperately. But as more Jiannu cavalry poured through the gap, just as the rebel center was about to be overwhelmed, a series of roars erupted from the edge of the battlefield.

"Slay the Slaves!"

Li Yan, Red Maiden, and the other rebel leaders turned to see a contingent of Ming troops with vibrant banners marching out of Datong. They moved in perfect formation, their steps rhythmic and heavy. Every time they took a step, they shouted in unison, their momentum surging like a rainbow.

Li Yan was the first to grasp the meaning of the slogan. Ever since the shouts of "Those not of our race must have different hearts" had rung out from the walls earlier, he had harbored suspicions. Later, when he had risked moving his battalions, the government troops hadn't attacked, which confirmed his theory.

Now that the government troops were sallying forth at such an unconventional time, shouting "Slay the Slaves," Li Yan was certain: the government troops were here to help! Though he didn't know why Wang Pu would do this, for a rebel army on the brink of collapse, this was undoubtedly a turning point!

"Slay the Slaves!" Li Yan drew his sword and roared.

"Slay the Slaves!"

Red Maiden, Jing Maocheng, Li Xuan, and Li Hu joined in. Soon, more and more rebel soldiers took up the chant. The chaotic cries gradually synchronized, echoing the shouts of the Ming troops emerging from the city, their combined force growing ever stronger.

At the front of the Jiannu line, Ajige yanked on his reins and looked back, shouting, "What is going on? What are those Southern Ming barbarians shouting?"

"Your Highness, reinforcements!" A commander of the Plain White Banner galloped up, breathless. "Reinforcements are attacking from the flank!"

"Reinforcements?" Ajige asked loudly. "Where?"

The commander pointed west. "Your Highness, look there."

Ajige took one look and burst into laughter. "These Southern Ming barbarians truly have a death wish. We’ve already crushed their tens of thousands—what can a mere thousand or two do? They are simply asking for death, ha ha ha..."