Chapter Eighteen: A Resounding Victory
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Several miles ahead, amidst dense wormwood.
Ebilong was startled by the sudden explosion, and cried out in alarm, “What’s going on? What are these Southern Ming barbarians trying to do?”
Tazhan looked up at the sky and said in a deep voice, “Ebilong, we can’t wait any longer!”
“Fine.” Ebilong nodded grimly. “I’ll take a thousand cavalry and launch a frontal assault to break the Southern Ming barbarians. You take the remaining thousand and sweep around from both flanks. This time, we must annihilate all these Ming troops!”
“Very well,” Tazhan replied in a grave tone. “Let’s do it.”
Two thousand Mongol cavalry emerged from the thick wormwood like ghosts, sweeping toward the well-prepared Ming forces.
Though Tazhan and Ebilong were seasoned veterans, their prolonged string of victories bred a dangerous contempt for the Ming army. This arrogance led them to split their forces into three, sending only a thousand cavalry for the frontal charge!
■■■
“General, look!” A sharp-eyed retainer suddenly shouted, “Cavalry! The Jianzhou cavalry!”
“Hm?”
Wang Pu followed the direction of the retainer’s finger and indeed saw flickering flames dotting the black horizon. Beneath the flames, masses of Jianzhou cavalry surged forward like a tidal wave. Within moments, the earth and sky echoed with thunderous hoofbeats, a roar like distant storms, chilling the heart.
Though Wang Pu’s retainers were all battle-hardened veterans, their faces paled in unison.
Wang Pu’s own expression changed. The Jianzhou were truly formidable!
Zhen Youcai’s feint and chain of deadly schemes had failed to deceive the Jianzhou. Instead, they turned the tables and executed a counter-trap. Had Wang Pu not possessed an unusually keen sense of danger on the battlefield, nearly a thousand retainers would have blundered straight into the Jianzhou’s ambush, facing total annihilation.
“My heavens, the Jianzhou didn’t fall for it.”
Zhen Youcai, who had been standing behind Wang Pu, scampered like a rabbit into the circular defensive formation, crouching beneath a horse’s belly.
Scarface licked his lips, the scar across his face appearing especially fierce and terrifying in the firelight. He stepped forward and spoke to Wang Pu, “General, there are at least two thousand Jianzhou cavalry—over a thousand on the front, four or five hundred on each wing. Looks like they want to wipe us out completely.”
“Wipe us out?” Wang Pu sneered. “The Jianzhou have a big appetite—aren’t they worried about breaking their teeth?”
Scarface spoke in a low tone, “General, let me take two hundred brothers to hold off the frontal Jianzhou cavalry. You take the rest and run.”
Wang Pu replied coldly, “Run? Can you outrun the Jianzhou?”
Scarface said, “It’s better than waiting to die.”
“Waiting to die?” Wang Pu grinned fiercely. “It’s not yet decided who will live and who will die, hmph!”
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Scarface cried anxiously, “General!”
Wang Pu remained unmoved, striding to the front of the six hundred retainers and shouting sternly, “Listen up, brothers! The Jianzhou cavalry is upon us. It’s too late to run now—if you want to survive, fight with all you’ve got! Remember what I said earlier—hold steady, you must stay calm! These Jianzhou are nothing!”
Over a thousand Jianzhou cavalry bore down like a storm, flames flickering, hooves thundering. Wang Pu, his back to the enemy, stood solemn and unyielding as a mountain. Whether in ancient or modern times, the law of survival on the battlefield was always the same: when rivals meet, the brave prevail. The more you fear death, the sooner you meet it. If you want to live, you must fight desperately!
“First squad, ready…”
At Wang Pu’s piercing cry, the first squad of retainers raised their firearms in unison, aiming at the onrushing Jianzhou cavalry.
The officer is always the best example for his soldiers. Wang Pu’s fearless stand at the very front inspired his men deeply—if even the chief commander doesn’t fear death, what reason do they have to fear?
Amid the deafening iron hooves, the savage figures of the Jianzhou cavalry could be vaguely seen. Some armed with powerful bows began firing wildly into the sky. Sharp arrows whistled down, one even skimming past Wang Pu’s cheek, missing his skull by a hair’s breadth.
Wang Pu stood immovable, not even blinking.
He knew he must not waver or retreat now. If he faltered, his men would collapse even faster, just as the Ming troops at Songshan had, becoming helpless victims for the Jianzhou cavalry. He must hold firm. The Jianzhou arrows could kill, but at such distance, the odds of being hit were low!
“Ah!”
“Damn it!”
“My foot, heavens…”
Unlucky retainers were struck by stray arrows, falling to the ground and crying out in pain. Some timid retainers grew uneasy, but seeing Wang Pu standing resolute at the front quickly restored their composure.
The Jianzhou cavalry charged at full speed.
The first squad of retainers, aiming their guns, were so tense they nearly suffocated, yet Wang Pu delayed the order to fire.
“Rumble…”
The thunderous hoofbeats drew the armies ever closer. Nearly all the Jianzhou cavalry now drew their bows, ready to release arrows once nearer. At that moment, Wang Pu suddenly roared, “First squad, fire!”
The front row of retainers breathed a sigh of relief and pulled their triggers.
“Boom!”
A hundred firearms fired in a blazing row, illuminating the night sky. The leading Jianzhou cavalry were thrown, horses and riders falling into pools of blood. Yet the following Jianzhou, undeterred, leaped their mounts over their fallen comrades and pressed the charge.
These Jianzhou cavalry underestimated their foe, believing this Ming force was no different from those before. In their experience, once they survived the first volley, victory was assured—the Ming would lose all will to resist and become lambs for slaughter.
Wang Pu, undaunted by the tide of Jianzhou cavalry, calmly repeated his command.
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“Second squad, ready… fire!”
“Boom!”
“Third squad, ready… fire!”
“Boom!”
“Fourth squad, ready… fire!”
“Boom!”
Under the pitch-black night, crimson flashes kept erupting, each followed by thunderous blasts. The earth trembled, the heavens shook, and the surging Jianzhou cavalry fell in ranks. As the distance closed, the Ming firearms grew ever deadlier, each volley felling more enemies.
By the time the sixth squad lined up to fire, the thousand Jianzhou cavalry charging the front had suffered massive casualties. Ebilong, leading the charge, was struck in the face by a lead ball and killed instantly. Faced with overwhelming losses, the Jianzhou’s morale finally broke. They lost the courage to press forward, reined in their horses, and fled in panic.
The Jianzhou were human, too—they feared death and could retreat!
“Whew…”
Wang Pu let out a long breath, feeling a weight lifted from his heart. These six hundred retainers truly were elite among the Ming army—they had not let him down, enduring the harsh trial of battle.
“General, the Jianzhou are retreating!” Scarface rushed up, shouting madly, “They’re really retreating!”
“Don’t celebrate too soon!” Wang Pu said coldly. “The frontal Jianzhou have been repulsed, but the flanking troops are about to sweep around. Scarface, take squads one, two, and three to the left and hold them off. Did you learn the volley tactics just now?”
“I did!” Scarface replied eagerly. “Leave the left to me—squads one, two, three, follow me!”
■■■
Shengjing.
The palace and the princes’ mansions still burned fiercely. With a gloomy expression, Hong Taiji came to the Great Qing Gate surrounded by guards. Now, the gate was reduced to a heap of ruins by the flames, its former grandeur gone. Not far behind stood the Chongzheng Hall, half of which had collapsed in the fire, the rest wavering, about to fall.
It was easy to imagine Shengjing would become a wasteland once the flames subsided.
Hong Taiji sighed deeply, watching the decades of toil and his father’s legacy turn to ash. How could he not grieve? What weighed even heavier on his heart was that what had been destroyed was not only Shengjing, but also the formidable military prestige the Jurchens had accumulated over hundreds of battles across decades.
He must not let these Ming troops return alive to the interior—especially their commander.
If these Ming soldiers returned alive, the Ming would no longer be psychologically inferior to the Qing army. They would lose their timidity and regain the courage to fight the Qing to the death. For the Manchu outside the pass, this would spell disaster. Hong Taiji would not allow such a situation to arise.
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