Chapter 144: The Left Division of the Fen Prefecture Guard

The Fenzhou Garrison flag-troops were far from a normal military force.

Watching from the high ground, Liu Chengzong could see it clearly: their battle formations were loose yet their morale was high. Even their grip on their weapons was somewhat wrong, but they were far from emaciated.

This was vastly different from the imperial troops they had encountered before, whether they were hereditary garrison soldiers or border troops.

The times simply no longer allowed ordinary people to remain robust.

They were bandits.

The winding mountain paths slowed the mounted scout's report, leaving rear-guard commander Wang Wenxiu somewhat bewildered by the orders.

Before the battle, the rear guard's instructions had been to conceal themselves in the mountains, wait until the Fenzhou Garrison flag-troops engaged Feng Rang to the west, and then launch a sudden assault on the enemy's center. The plan was to cut the enemy force in half and then compress them from the center toward both ends.

However, the new order from Liu Chengzong commanded him to attack the government troops before Feng Rang arrived. This instantly turned the rear guard from a supporting force into the main attacking force, yet their current position was terribly unfavorable.

The vanguard of the government troops had already marched past by a couple of hundred men; an attack now would force his five hundred men to face the main enemy body head-on, creating a semi-encirclement.

With no time to dwell on these worries, Wang Wenxiu hardened his heart, glanced up at the hill where Liu Chengzong was stationed, and led his main force surging out from the concealed mountain slopes. They rushed down the mountain paths, quickly formed their lines, and pushed toward the government troops.

The thousand-odd flag-troops on the march suddenly discovered the enemy on their flank and fell into extreme panic. Yet, following closely behind, their centurions quickly straightened the ranks. Five centurion units then formed a horizontal line to engage the enemy and obscure the battlefield, buying time and creating an opportunity for the other two centurion units to lead a flanking maneuver.

In the still-hereditary garrison command system, the combat effectiveness of the flag-troops might not be particularly high, but their obedience to centurions and chiliarchs was exceptional.

After all, having served several families across generations, obedience to orders had already become an instinct.

With a thunderous roar, three heavy cannons once from the command of Li Bei were wheeled out onto a platform in the mountains. One of them spat fire and smoke from its muzzle, its dual-wheeled carriage recoiling violently.

From a slightly elevated platform above the artillery post, Cao Yao used a smoldering piece of slow match to light his pipe. Watching the iron ball bombard the enemy formation from above, smashing a skull to pieces amidst the crowd, he muttered to himself, "This falls far short of that artillery barrage at Hequ."

He turned his head while holding the pipe, puffs of smoke escaping his lips as he spoke, "Reload quickly. Aim all three cannons at the enemy's front formation, and fire only when the center guard is sixty paces away."

Cao Yao actually possessed very little experience in commanding artillery.

In the past, within the imperial firearm battalion of the capital, he had learned a great deal about the operation of firearms, but his actual artillery command experience only began after he fought side-by-side with Liu Chengzong.

Before that, the firearms he was most familiar with were three-barrel hand cannons and breech-loading falcons.

Artillery was notoriously difficult to drill, especially Liu Chengzong's artillery guard... Unlike the border troops, they lacked a fixed ammunition allocation, and the ammunition consumption of cannons was simply too high.

Those three Lord Ye divine cannons he had managed to get from Li Bei were fine pieces indeed, but they consumed ammunition at an astonishing rate.

A single shot from one cannon consumed enough supplies for the artillery guard's two hundred musketeers to fire once.

Throughout the entire winter, the live-fire training of the battalion's artillery guard had consisted only of firing small matchlocks; the heavy guns had always been loaded with dummy charges. As a result, while the gunners were thoroughly familiar with the loading process, this was only their second time firing in actual combat.

Even now, Cao Yao had yet to fully master the intricacies of these three cannons.

However, regarding the timing for commanding the artillery battery to fire, the breakthrough of Li Bei's lines at Hequ, combined with the distant bombardment today, had sparked some ideas of his own.

That cannonball had struck quite accurately, though that had little to do with the gunners' skill—the cannon itself was simply of superior quality.

Yet, bombarding a ground formation with a single solid shot yielded extremely limited deterrent power. Neither the garrison troops before them nor Luo Ruchai's beggar army would experience a rout from such attacks.

On the other hand, massing a large number of light cannons hidden within our infantry lines at the front or flanks of the enemy's solid formation, concentrating the artillery at close range, and bombarding one side with a mix of solid shot and scatter charges simultaneously could produce far greater results.

Killing and wounding frontline officers and messengers, coupled with the thunderous noise, could temporarily disrupt enemy command, while the smoke of artillery fire could further obscure our infantry's assault, thus breaking the formation.

Glancing at Liu Chengzong, who was observing the battlefield with absolute concentration, he kept these thoughts to himself.

He simply resolved to suggest to Liu Chengzong in their next operation that the artillery guard should carry twenty light cannons, mixed and matched with any guard unit, and advance to the front lines to see if they could replicate the formation-breaking effect achieved against Li Bei's forces.

Soon, the two armies in the valley were on the verge of engagement.

The garrison troops had completed their formation adjustment, shifting from a westward-facing column to two horizontal lines facing south and backing north. The front horizontal line was composed of five centurion units, stretching across a considerable width.

The rear horizontal line consisted of three centurion units, enclosing a square formation with all their wagons, keeping the central command, baggage train, and oxen and donkeys protected in the center.

On the left and right flanks between the two horizontal lines, one centurion unit each slowly advanced, accompanied by cavalry detachments split off from various centurion units.

The cavalry on the left flank was breaking away from the battlefield toward the east, presumably because the government troops had spotted Liu Chengzong's command post due to the artillery fire and intended to seize the opportunity to charge up the hill.

However, this was futile; one had to make a wide detour from far to the east to climb the hill where Liu Chengzong was located.

The matchlock-men at the very front of the forward horizontal line began to fire. The muffled sounds of matchlocks echoed through the valley, and sparse wisps of smoke drifted up before the formation.

Some men in Wang Wenxiu's vanguard were struck by bullets and knocked to the ground. The soldiers behind them parted to avoid the fallen and then closed the ranks once more.

The wounded soldier did not wait long before struggling back up from the battlefield. Seemingly nursing an issue with his left arm that prevented him from raising his spear, he drew his waist saber, trotted forward with it to catch up with the unit, and filled the vacant spot at the rear of the formation.

The government troops had completed their formation shift. Liu Chengzong turned his head and commanded, "Wave the white flag, from east to west."

Several guards behind him stood at attention, planting large banners of various colors into the ground. At this command, the guard holding the white flag stepped out of the ranks, held the banner high, and ran along the edge of the mountain platform from east to west.

Cao Yao fired two cannons into the enemy formation. Amidst the roaring blasts of the artillery, Yang耀's vanguard—leading horses and mules—rushed out from the eastern mountain pass and galloped toward the left flank of the government troops.

Wang Wenxiu's rear guard engaged the government troops, the two battle lines crashing into one another. Three-barrel hand cannons and matchlocks erupted in bursts of smoke before the lines, while small-caliber field guns boomed from time to time at the front of the formation.

The government cavalry on the right flank attempted to outflank Wang Wenxiu's left, only to be struck by two *Yongzhu* cannons, which killed and wounded several horses.

As the cavalry charged to within ten paces, Wang Wenxiu's left formation held its ground. A forest of pikes, spears, and large shields parted, and the three-barrel hand-gunners and matchlock-men stepped forward from the gaps to fire in rolling volleys.

This left a dozen corpses of government cavalry on the field and forced the rest to retreat out of range.

The government cavalry on the left flank had been hurtling blindly eastward when they suddenly saw a massive train of mules charging toward them. Seized by panic, their entire column was forced to a rapid halt within a short span, after which they turned around and headed back toward their main force at a speed faster than their charge.

Halfway back, they were met by a single rider dispatched from the government's central command. After a brief exchange of shouts, the cavalry once again wheeled around and charged toward the mule train of Yang Yao's force.

At this moment, the distance between the two sides was no more than two hundred paces. Many soldiers in Yang Yao's vanguard had already mounted real horses during the ride and galloped forward to meet the charging government cavalry. The two cavalry forces collided like two blazing fires, sending sparks flying in all directions.

Some pursued with leveled spears and slashing sabers, while others rode at full gallop with drawn bows, shooting wildly on the move.

Meanwhile, Yang Yao's mule train bypassed the engagement zone and continued its advance.

This scene greatly alarmed the government troops. Although the seven front centurion units were trading blows evenly with Wang Wenxiu, wavering began to spread through their ranks. The wagon barricade of the central command parted, and two centurion units deployed facing eastward.

The last men left guarding the central command hitched oxen and donkeys to the wagons, preparing to slip away westward at a moment's notice.

Looking down upon the battlefield, Liu Chengzong saw that the government cavalry on the right flank—having failed to successfully assault Wang Wenxiu—received new orders. Abandoning the attack, they turned and galloped westward to scout the path for the central command.

Who knew what mental struggles the Fenzhou Garrison officers had gone through, but just as the cavalry went westward to scout, the wagons and horses of the central command were unhitched once more. The wagons were reassembled into a square formation, and the entire defense line began to contract.

Liu Chengzong realized his intention to drive the government troops westward had been exposed far too clearly. Since their retreat path was blocked, the government troops had no reason to believe the path ahead was safe.

He should have let Yang Yao strike a bit later.

Even so, it mattered little. Feng Rang led his main force, mixed with Cao Yao's two hundred musketeers, advancing slowly from west to east.

The government wagon barricade was assembled for a second time, the space in the middle widened slightly to make the enclosure larger, and the garrison's formation slowly contracted toward the center.

Some wished to flee—those on the eastern side ran west, and those on the west ran east. Yet, wherever they looked, enemy forces were slowly pressing in upon them, leaving them with no choice but to successively retreat into the safety of the wagon barricade.

This suited Liu Chengzong's intentions perfectly. He had never intended to let these men run; from its inception, the entire plan had never aimed merely at routing them.

He wanted total annihilation—surrender or death.

Yet, clearly, this faction of government troops had no intention of surrendering, at least not for the moment.

While five units were still fighting outside, the flag-troops within the wagon barricade took up the iron mattocks and shovels from the wagons, digging earth to fill the gaps between the vehicles.

Frowning, Liu Chengzong handed his telescope to Cao Yao. "Are they planning to make a desperate last stand?"

Below, Wang Wenxiu was still deadlocked with the enemy, while Yang Yao's cavalry had routed the government cavalry, capturing dozens of horsemen, stripping them of their armor and weapons, leaving a dozen men to watch over them, and then advancing once more toward the government wagon barricade.

Meanwhile, his mule train dismounted a hundred paces outside the wagon barricade, formed up as infantry, and advanced with bows drawn. They unleashed two volleys of rain-like arrows with little effect, only to have one man wounded by a matchlock shot.

Consequently, they fell back, divided their forces, and went to outflank the government vanguard.

This drastically reduced the pressure on Wang Wenxiu's force, who then personally led his men at the front to coordinate with Yang Yao's assault. They easily shattered the leftmost of the five government units, and the garrison troops, caught in a crossfire, began to collapse starting from a few individuals breaking away from the formation to flee.

A rout, once begun, is exceedingly difficult to halt.

In a very short span of time, the five vanguard formations of the Fenzhou Garrison in Liu Chengzong's eyes were swept from left to right by Yang Yao and Wang Wenxiu.

The leftmost unit had its formation smashed by Wang Wenxiu's personal charge. Immediately afterward, Yang Yao drew his saber for infantry combat, cut through the ranks of the fleeing troops across the second formation, and charged straight into the heart of the third formation to decapitate the centurion. The routed troops swept along the fourth formation and crashed like a copper wall against Feng Rang's iron-solid front.

They were greeted by a dense, rolling volley from three lines of firearms, and thick plumes of smoke rose before the ranks.

He heard Cao Yao clap his hands and exclaim, "My musketry unit!"

Ahead lay guns, cannons, and a massive army; behind stood fierce and merciless fiends.

The five units of flag-troops found themselves caught in a dilemma between advancing and retreating. Just as they attempted to withdraw northward into the wagon barricade, Yang Yao's cavalry thundered across the space between the wagon barricade and the fleeing troops, leaving a row of trembling feathered arrows embedded in the wagons.

Like the rising and ebbing tide, the unorganized flag-troops laid down their weapons in droves, becoming prisoners of war.

Seeing the vanguard surrender from within the wagon barricade, Zhang Zhan jumped up and cursed vehemently.

He loudly swore oaths that upon returning to Fenzhou Garrison, he would slaughter the families of every single one of them. Realizing almost immediately that this was hardly the time for such talk, he shifted to boosting his subordinates' morale: "There are still seven hundred men under Chiliarch Chen on the northern road! The enemy is already fatigued; we shall surely turn defeat into victory!"

The three centurions inside the wagon barricade swallowed their grievances, chorused their assent, and called upon the flag-troops to pile up earth and dig trenches within the wagon enclosure, putting on a show of desperate resistance.

Yet, as if in direct response to his shouts, the white flags on the mountain fluttered once more. This time from west to east, then from east to west, pausing for a moment before repeating the sequence.

Down in the formation, Yang Yao exchanged a brief word with Wang Wenxiu, turning over the task of rounding up prisoners to his comrades.

He came quickly and left just as quickly, leading his force out of the battlefield in the blink of an eye, remounting his little mule, and trotting away eastward to resume his march.

For a time, the battlefield fell utterly silent, devoid of the sound of guns and cannons. Only the forces of Wang Wenxiu and Feng Rang detached scores of men to suppress the disarmed prisoners, then slowly closed in to encircle the three hundred government troops inside the wagon barricade just beyond effective shooting range.

"Go tell the baggage guard to have the medics from the other side of the mountain come over. Send more men to Cliff Head Mountain, dispatch some auxiliary troops with mattocks and shovels, and ask how the scaling ladders are coming along."

Half of the government troops having surrendered greatly relaxed Liu Chengzong's mood. He let out a long breath and gazed toward the north; now everything depended on whether Zhong Hu's center guard could hold off that force of over seven hundred government troops.

Liu Chengzong already had an answer to this question in his mind. Although that government force slightly outnumbered them, their morale was far inferior to Zhong Hu's men.

The two mountain paths were not far apart, save that one was wide and the other narrow, and they could hear the sounds of battle echoing from this side.

While Zhong Hu knew the reason for the battle, the government's detached force did not. As long as Zhong Hu put up a brief resistance and the government troops realized they could not achieve a breakthrough in a short time, they would inevitably seek a way to retreat by the path they came.

Ambushed unexpectedly, reuniting with the main force was the safest course of action.

Naturally, by the same token, fighting on that side could be heard over here as well.

In the valley, the two forces were engaged—one besieging, one defending. Moments later, ethereal shouts drifted from afar, interspersed with the sounds of synchronized gunfire.

For the government troops trapped within the wagon barricade, this was unequivocally grim news, as Chiliarch Chen's force carried no artillery.

Even the prisoners, who had been restless just moments before, settled down amidst the distant cannon fire that rumbled like thunder on the horizon.

There was no turning the tide now.

They could not see the progress of the battle, but they could form a rough guess in their hearts as the sounds drew nearer or receded.

The sounds of combat had originated far away to the west. After the space of a quarter-hour, they gradually died down, only to reappear closer to the north.

Chiliarch Chen had failed to break through the enemy's blockade and, pursued during his retreat, had been forced into a second engagement.

After another short while, the sounds of combat grew distant once more—only this time they had shifted to the east, and they ceased before lasting very long.

Liu Chengzong looked toward that mountain mound and smiled. It seemed Yang Yao, much like himself, had learned a thing or two from this battle.

Clearly, the vanguard had not charged too far west; instead, they had stayed near the mountain pass to await the enemy at their ease, letting the government troops—fighting and retreating—run past them only to run right back, only to discover that the path here was blocked as well.

Before long, several riders galloped over from the distant reaches of the valley. Someone shouted from the foot of the mountain, "General! The chiliarch of the northern government troops was shot dead by Vanguard Commander Yang, and the remaining forces have surrendered!"

Liu Chengzong nodded in acknowledgment and sent orders for Yang Yao to bring the prisoners over.

Before Yang Yao even arrived, however, internal conflict erupted within the wagon barricade. Moments later, a centurion stripped off his armor, laid down his weapon, and emerged from the formation carrying the head of the Fenzhou Garrison Left Directorate Commander, surrendering on behalf of the three hundred flag-troops.

Liu Chengzong laughed aloud on the mountaintop, then restrained his smile, turning to look slightly at Cao Yao: "None of them are emaciated. Yet seeing them so well-fed, my mind instantly turns to those desolate, ghost-town villages."