Chapter 120: A Peculiar Request

Swish swish!

The two Han brothers stood at the forefront of the formation, drawing their bows and releasing arrows.

The two finest mounted archers adopted a foot-archery stance, precisely aiming their feathered arrows at the village entrance.

With an interval of over thirty steps, both drew their bows and shot. From the village entrance came muffled groans and agonized screams, yet soon two more government soldiers, pierced by arrows, painfully returned fire.

Accurate shooting at night was difficult; whether one could bring down an enemy often depended on luck. Sometimes arrows struck armor without felling the man, and there was little one could do about it.

Doo doo!

Facing the incoming government arrows, the Han brothers neither dodged nor avoided. Beside them stood Liu Chengzong’s household retainers, along with the two Zhong brothers—both fourth-class soldiers—holding square shields in front, forming a solid frontline defense.

Liu Chengzong, positioned in the center of the formation, shook his head in admiration. Though skilled in archery, he knew the Han brothers’ abilities surpassed his, especially under the cover of darkness when such precision was hard to achieve.

Two archers of great strength and accuracy were like adding wings to a tiger in an assault.

Four expert retainers advanced at the front, followed closely by four sentries, quickly closing to within twenty steps.

“Relay, three steps per arrow for the vanguard.”

Liu Chengzong held his bow. At this distance, the moonlight and firelight revealed the silhouettes of government soldiers in the village.

Despite their padded armor, several men were hit by arrows after advancing two or three dozen steps through the rain of arrows. Their spirits burned with anger, waiting only for this command.

Almost simultaneously with the order, the border troops of the vanguard drew their bows taut and released arrows toward the faint figures at the village entrance.

Some, trapped in the narrow path behind the human wall, stood on tiptoe to shoot through the gaps.

A volley of feathered arrows flew out. A government soldier, pierced by several arrows, finally took a face shot and fell with a scream.

Another man, just targeted by Han Shipan, glanced once at his fallen comrade, then turned and fled north.

From then on, no enemy dared shoot arrows from the eastern village entrance.

The four elite vanguard quickened their pace, and the entire formation surged forward, crossing the first narrow trench, then the second, until they broke into the village.

No sooner had they entered than Zhong Hu, carrying a shield at the front, stepped back, shouting, “Baozi, fall back!”

But it was too late. Almost simultaneously, a series of loud bangs echoed from both sides, and smoke thickened at the village entrance.

It was the firelock!

Zhong Hu, caught off guard, was struck instantly by several lead bullets through his long shield, groaning as he tumbled to the ground.

His brother Zhong Bao fared slightly better, moving more slowly. The bullets whizzed past him, flying off at an angle. Seeing this, he was filled with rage, shouting behind his shield, “Brother!”

Liu Chengzong’s fury boiled over; moments before, death had been just two steps away. He shouted, “Left and right sentries, fire the flying grenades!”

A single response came from the formation. Moments later, two muffled explosions sounded as small cylindrical bombs soared into the sky, arcing down into the village.

After a moment, a massive blast rang out within, accompanied by unending screams and struggles.

Liu Chengzong ordered, “Relay, rear sentry drag out the wounded; the remaining three sentries enter the village and split the battle lines!”

He thought to himself, this blasted grenade launcher only fired twice in the government hands; even in his hands, the firing rate was poor.

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

The three sentries advanced. Before fully entering the village, another explosion detonated. The grenade launcher was unharmed but the fuse was longer than usual. The government soldiers had already taken cover inside, so the blast caused almost no reaction.

Taking advantage of this, the three sentries charged in. Soon, the left and right sentries each formed lines, shooting arrows at the government soldiers coming from the south and north, splitting the enemy ranks stationed in the village.

“Maintain formation. Don’t break ranks!”

Liu Chengzong stood at the village entrance as Wang Wenxiu of the rear sentry and Yang Yao of the vanguard arranged their troops into three horizontal lines, sealing off the village. Gao Xian of the right sentry guarded Liu on both sides as the reserve.

Feng Rang’s left sentry scattered into squads of four, pulling wounded border soldiers out of the village while filling the gaps with fresh men to maintain the line.

Zhong Hu, hit by a bullet, was dragged down. Liu Chengzong grabbed a nearby torch to illuminate him. A rough glance revealed three holes in his padded armor. His left arm’s iron brace was dented, and blood seeped from beneath the iron plate.

“How is it?” Liu asked urgently.

Zhong Hu, still conscious, his eyes bloodshot from pain, trembled as he inhaled sharply, shaking his head. “Body... body’s fine. Arm... slipped out of place.”

Relieved, Liu examined the armor more carefully. Several lead balls had pierced the outer fabric but were stopped by the iron plates underneath. The padded armor’s lining provided additional protection, so his injuries were not severe.

His left arm, however, had borne the full impact of several close-range firelock shots while holding the wooden shield, resulting in dislocation. One bullet even penetrated the shield to hit his arm—the most serious injury.

Still, it was a blessing. Liu clenched Zhong Hu’s left hand, smiling. “Yan Shui Pass saved your life. Get him down and reattach the arm... Hey, you’ve got a hell of a lucky streak!”

If not for the ample government armor they had seized and stripped to supply their own soldiers, Zhong Hu’s life would have been lost in that volley.

The battle within the village raged on. Wang Wenxiu’s unit advanced southward, deploying his five squads in phases.

Three squads held the line; the left and right flanks, each twenty men led by a captain, rushed to seize houses on either side, climbing onto rooftops to fire strong bows at the enemy.

Yang Yao’s northern unit split into five squads, forming five columns advancing forward. Those who encountered resistance killed on the spot; any squad encountering government soldiers they could not handle delayed briefly.

Once the flanking squads completed their encirclement, they would launch a coordinated attack.

The four sentries cooperated with remarkable synergy: two focused on the assault, one as reserve, and one dragging the wounded backward.

Liu Chengzong truly savored the feeling of commanding.

Deploying thousands on Cannon Hill was no comfort compared to directing these five hundred men.

In the pitch-black village, both sides lurked in the dark, drawing bows and firing firelocks within a dozen steps, followed by close-quarters combat.

Neither side had cannons—this was his men’s greatest advantage.

Of course, even if the enemy brought small field cannons, his four sentries could match them. They had never lacked small field cannons; what they lacked were heavy siege cannons exceeding five hundred pounds.

Soon, Gao Xian’s soldiers ran over, reporting, “General, vanguard leader Yang sent word: the government commander is not in the north. If we strike once, they will break!”

Not being in the north meant they were in the south.

“Tell Leader Yang to hold on a bit longer. Once the north breaks, the south will attempt a breakout. Have Leader Wang prepare to pursue, Leader Gao ready to support both north and south. Feng Rang and Wei Qian’er will take troops with me to fortify the southern mountain path and intercept the government forces along the way.”

With that, Liu Chengzong raised his hand. “Send someone to find Shang Tianhou and have him bring four hundred mules here.”

The two officers relayed orders.

Meanwhile, border soldiers ran to inform Shang Tianhou of the situation on both sides, ordering his men to coordinate.

Liu Chengzong moved toward the southern village entrance. Fighting was visibly fiercer here, as many of Shang Tianhou’s leaders occupied fields and directed their men to repeatedly regroup and attack the village.

Shang Tianhou’s men executed orders far better than appearances suggested.

Yet they were too weak in strength. Their assaults failed to breach the government lines, reducing their attacks to shooting from twenty or thirty steps away.

Nighttime shots were already difficult to land, further hindered by their weak bows and crossbows and the government’s well-armored defenses. Even when they hit, injuries were slow to disable the enemy.

If two or three men were hit, the entire unit would retreat.

The soldiers, already exhausted, wasted energy in constant advances and retreats.

Outside the village, Liu Chengzong reorganized his troops. The pond soldiers stood firm while the left sentry paired men one-on-one, forming squads of forty under unified command, setting ambushes south of the village.

The so-called ambushes needed no finesse.

Beyond the village entrance, thirty steps out, the only light came from government bonfires and torches held by Shang Tianhou’s men. Beyond that was darkness, with only moonlight on the earth.

Beyond fifty steps, nothing was visible. To scatter and ambush was impossible—better not to ambush and risk hitting their own men was fortunate.

Liu Chengzong told Feng Rang and Wei Qian’er, “The enemy will not last. Once they flee, they’ll scatter. Tell the men that even when dispersed, pursuit can only be in pairs. Kill any who stray alone. Command: ‘Grandfather is here; why not surrender early?’”

Wei Qian’er, having never served before but now enjoying the organization of the border troops, worried aloud, “General, if we scatter, can we defeat the government soldiers?”

“Good question!”

Liu Chengzong always believed a leader need not know everything, but must understand their own strengths and weaknesses.

He knew his men well and smiled. “This is the opportunity I’ve sought: chaotic fighting on all sides suits us best. The government forces are disciplined; so are we. Four hundred versus four hundred—whoever wins, losses will be severe on both sides.”

Wei Qian’er nodded. Liu continued, “If the disciplined fight the undisciplined in a controlled manner, victory is assured. But at night, pursuing the enemy is difficult to control. Only when discipline breaks down on both sides can we force an opening.”

He hoped to create a scenario where the government lost order while his men held formation, but this was nearly impossible outside the village.

If the government was trapped inside, even if briefly disorganized, their men would soon regroup under their commanders, forcing brutal close combat.

“When discipline is lost and both sides are border troops, how to judge victory or defeat? By who has more provisions,” Liu said with a wry smile, “and we have more.”

The government soldiers, caught between assaults from the south, soon found the enemy’s resistance strengthened. A volley of gunfire at the village entrance felled several attackers, causing another band to retreat.

Yet the musketeers did not withdraw. One man drew his blade and leapt forward, taunting the thieves in the firelight, “You bandits! Anyone brave enough to shoot my foot?”

Liu Chengzong knew this was a sign the government troops north of the village were under too much pressure and had fled south to challenge morale, hoping to intimidate and create an advantage for a breakthrough.

He told those around him, “Prepare to engage. They’re about to charge out.”

At the same time, two squads of thieves hurled curses and fired arrows at the musketeers.

The musketeer stood unmoving at a distance of over thirty steps, guarded by several others wielding three-eyed muskets. The distance was measured precisely.

If the thieves crossed the bonfire’s edge, they would be within deadly range of the muskets.

Beyond that, the thieves’ arrows scattered but lacked accuracy.

Surprisingly, no one managed to hit the soldier’s foot.

Liu Chengzong itched to act and said to Zhong Bao, “Dare you shield me as I go over?”

Zhong Bao’s elder brother had been wounded, but he showed no fear. Lifting his large shield, he said, “General, lead the way! What’s there to fear?”

The two approached the musketeers behind the bonfire. The government soldier was still shouting and taunting. Liu Chengzong nocked an arrow, pulled it to full draw, and shouted, “Watch this!”

The musketeer, unprepared, still stood firm. The arrow flew thirty steps and struck the toe of his black boot, causing him to cry out in pain.

But his cry was drowned out by the thieves’ cheers.

Unexpectedly, the musketeer was tough; despite the pain, he kept shouting insults.

He couldn’t see who shot the arrow from the fire’s shadow but knew his role was to break the thieves’ morale. Enduring the pain, he cursed loudly, “Which bastard shot grandpa? If you’ve got guts, shoot me in the face!”

A strange challenge indeed, one Liu Chengzong had never heard before.

He nocked another arrow, stepped forward two paces, drew full, and released. The arrow struck the man’s nose, causing a scream as he collapsed, clutching his face.

The thieves’ cheers grew even louder.

Liu Chengzong chuckled lightly. For him, this was a simple matter of having a full stomach and steady hands.

Though they boosted the thieves’ morale somewhat, Liu did not let his guard down. He told the leader of the hundred-man band, “Pull back. The government will fire muskets.”

Shielded by Zhong Bao, he retreated a few steps just as two rows of musketeers emerged, some kneeling, others standing, firing volleys of lead at the village entrance, filling the air with smoke.

Zhong Bao’s large shield took at least seven or eight hits, ringing with the impacts.

Fortunately, they were farther away this time, and the government muskets fired multiple pellets per barrel. The power was insufficient to penetrate the shield.

Following this, a line of soldiers armed with eight-foot spears charged out through the smoke, followed by the main government force forming ranks behind.

The government troops were breaking out!

As Liu Chengzong fell back, he drew his bow and knocked down a spearman. The Han brothers on the embankment came to support, their rapid steps and strong bows felling three enemies in quick succession.

The five squads lying in ambush around also simultaneously launched attacks on the government soldiers.