Chapter 151: Overthrow

Liu Chengzong did not enter Huozhou.

After receiving two Hongyi cannons sent by the imperial court, he simply realized he was surrounded.

Kulong Pass to the northeast, Xiliang Village to the east, Luxian to the southeast, and Daning to the south were all garrisoned by imperial troops.

After assessing the situation, he concluded that the imperial garrison at Xiliang Village was the weakest and could be worth a strike.

However, that fortress was difficult to assault; its terrain made it easy to defend and hard to attack, blocking the main thoroughfare into Huozhou. Even with cannons mounted, if the defenders chose to keep their heads down, he would have no good options.

If the main army attempted to bypass it secretly, the heavy baggage trains could not get through; if the baggage trains managed to pass, they would be extremely vulnerable to rear-guard pursuit.

Therefore, he tried a feint. When the army abandoned the baggage, ignored Xiliang Village, and marched straight east for two miles, they discovered that the Xiliang garrison refused to take the bait.

Since they wouldn't fall for it, there was nothing he could do. He had to lead the troops back, only this time playing a little trick: since they were an unburdened light force anyway, they simply climbed the mountain from the south and stealthily made their way back to the west.

Yet no matter what Liu Chengzong did, the Xiliang garrison remained motionless inside their fortress.

You attack with five hundred men; my thousand men stay put.

You march east with five hundred men; my thousand men still stay put.

You leave your warhorses and wagons in the west; my thousand men remain as calm as still water.

Liu Chengzong jumped back and forth repeatedly, but the Xiliang garrison refused to bite, executing the ultimate turtle defense strategy.

It made him look as though he were matching wits with thin air, creating a momentarily awkward scene.

It was enough to make one pull their hair out in frustration.

Xiliang Village lay in the northern mountains of the military road leading from the Lüliang Mountains to Huozhou. Without uprooting this fortress, any advancing army would have their retreat cut off, and even if they captured supplies, transporting them back to the west would be out of the question.

Yet a frontal assault on the fortress was nearly impossible; surrounded by mountainous terrain on all sides, the army could neither deploy properly nor maneuver effectively.

The only viable strategy was to cut off their water and food, but a siege would easily allow the imperial troops to block the mountain trails from both the eastern and western sides of the Lüliang Mountains.

As for artillery, his smaller cannons were useless against the stone stronghold, while the heavy cannons were insufficient in both quantity and ammunition.

To be honest, faced with this kind of stone turtle shell, Liu Chengzong truly had no good solution.

If all four surrounding imperial garrison strongholds were like this, the Lion Camp would be completely blocked west of the Lüliang Mountains.

Fortunately, however, not every stronghold was the same.

On March 20th, fast scouts from the direction of Luxian reported that the imperial garrison there had reorganized their equipment, shifted southwest along the military road to turn north, and was moving toward Xixian.

Immediately afterward, the imperial garrison stationed outside Daning County town also moved. This force was advancing toward Yonghe County, apparently attempting to circle north of Xixian to form a northern and southern pincer movement with the other force.

Upon receiving the intelligence, the commanders of each platoon gathered for a council on the steep slopes of the western foothills of the Lüliang Mountains.

Cheng Yun spread out the map on the ground, marked the positions of the four enemy columns, and Liu Chengzong instinctively turned his head toward Cao Yao.

It wasn't to ask for a plan, but in a situation like this, Cao Yao should be the most familiar person among those present.

Cao Yao let out a bitter laugh: "The lessons of Sarhū, and these people haven't learned a single thing?"

The enemy was hidden while they were exposed.

They were splitting their forces and advancing side by side in mountainous terrain.

Several iron turtle strongholds were stubbornly refusing to budge.

Every column was inferior to the enemy in both troop strength and combat power.

This was clearly setting up a spirit-summoning grand array, trying to summon Nurhaci's spirit to manifest!

Cao Yao began analyzing the pros and cons: "If we fight, we must be fast. Smash one column first, and before they receive word, smash another column. The remaining ones that won't move will die anyway once they lose their reinforcements."

"If you want to retreat, concentrate all our strength to crush the Luxian column, and enter Linfen via Heilong Pass."

At this moment, Liu Chengzong raised his hand to signal Cao Yao to stop talking. He walked aside with a frown, stood on the steep mountain cliff, and looked out over the rolling mountain ranges.

He wasn't thinking of a strategy to defeat the enemy; he was thinking of the broader picture.

He was pondering how they had stumbled blindly into making the imperial troops deploy in such a formation.

He was willing to call this formation... the Nurhaci Sarhū Spirit-Summoning Array.

After a brief moment of reflection, Liu Chengzong pinpointed the core issue.

The imperial court's arrangement for southern Shanxi was a horizontal defense against the north. Thus, Xuanfu and Datong formed the first line; Kelan and Daizhou formed the second line; Taiyuan formed the third line; Fenzhou and Lu'an formed the fourth line.

Relatively speaking, Kelan State and Piantou Pass might have had some secondary role in defending the west, but in Fenzhou Prefecture and Pingyang Prefecture, there were no arrangements for vertical defense along the Yellow River.

Consequently, Fenzhou Prefecture and Pingyang Prefecture could not coordinate. They only knew there were reinforcements in the north, but when the southern troops moved, the northern troops remained stationary.

At the borders of two provinces, two prefectures, two counties, or even two military circuit jurisdictions.

This kind of tactical situation could be manufactured—he understood it now!

At that moment, Liu Chengzong looked toward the shadows of the distant rolling mountain ranges, feeling a particularly subtle sensation in his heart.

How should he put it? The imperial court was teaching him how to fight the imperial court.

He turned his head, meeting the expectant or puzzled gazes of his subordinate platoon commanders. Filled with excitement, he clenched his fist and said: "We fight. First, strike the thousand-man imperial column moving north from Puzhou, then strike the thousand-man imperial column from Daning. If the two northern imperial columns stay put, so be it; if they move, we'll hit them too."

"The battlefield will be right south of Xixian town!"

In truth, the terrain offered no other place to serve as a battlefield. Mountains were everywhere, and the narrow mountain paths could not accommodate large troop formations. There were only two or three military roads, and finding a flat stretch of land was no easy task.

The general direction was finalized, and the commanders of the six combat platoons waited for him to issue their combat assignments.

Liu Chengzong did not hesitate. He directly said to Yang Yao: "Platoon Commander Yang sustained injuries previously; this time you will act as the supporting force and remain behind. I am leaving both the baggage platoon and the engineering platoon with you. Set up a defense line south of Xixian town, dig trenches, and establish a camp."

Though Yang Yao felt his injuries weren't serious and he could still command troops, he nodded and accepted the order.

When it came to combat orders, he always listened and followed through.

Yet he had his own doubts as well and asked: "If I set up camp south of the town, when the northern enemy troops arrive, they'll slip into Xixian town to stand off against us. We won't be able to beat them."

No matter how sturdy a constructed camp was, it certainly couldn't compare to a walled city town.

Liu Chengzong smiled and nodded: "Stationing a camp south of the town doesn't mean camping right on the military road. Choose a hidden spot in the mountainous terrain as long as there's a retreat route. Don't block the imperial troops as they march south; wait until they pass by, then cut them off and trap them."

Once they ran off, they wouldn't be easy to find.

"Go to Weijiayu."

Cheng Yun chimed in: "You can't find it from the outside in those mountains, yet it's not far from the military road. The common folk fled in droves during the drought the year before last, and now only seven or eight households remain guarding the valley. If we spend some money and grain, not only will we have locals to work for us, but we can also help them tide over this difficult time—the best of both worlds."

He pointed to the location on the map, raised his hand with a smile at the others, and said: "With nearly two thousand men across three platoons, as long as we choose the location for the latrines well, we'll fertilize everyone's fields. A bountiful harvest is already beckoning to the common folk."

"That's right."

Liu Chengzong smiled: "We are outsiders. Even if we wanted to help the common folk here like we did in Shaanxi, we wouldn't know where to begin. But as long as we can avoid committing the slightest offense against the majority of the common people, in time, the people will surely treat us better than they treat the local troops."

In reality, committing no offense against the people was not an exceptionally high standard.

Simply put, it meant not disturbing the common folk—their arrival felt no different than if they hadn't come at all.

Yet doing so was truly difficult, especially in this era. Liu Chengzong had been a soldier himself, and he knew this better than anyone.

Let's not even talk about regular border troops; back when he used to leave the camp at Yuhe Fortress to go hunting, his heart would flutter with anxiety everywhere he walked. He would hallucinate every barren mountain and bald ridge he saw, imagining various foods he had eaten popping up across the hillsides.

The moment he laid eyes on a villager's sheep, his eyes would light up.

That living, bleating little sheep would instantly undergo depilation, bleeding, skinning, and slicing right in his mind, and under the blazing sun, the aroma would practically rise up.

Just thinking of that feeling back then made Liu Chengzong reach into his waist pouch, pull out a piece of salted horse meat, put it in his mouth to chew, and say: "Cut off the Daning troops in the north, and be on guard against imperial troops coming out of Kulong Pass and Xiliang Village. The rest of the troops will follow me south, and Cheng Yun, arrange for half of the medical artisans to accompany me."

"To deal with the imperial troops advancing north from Luxian, Platoon Commander Feng's troops will serve as the vanguard."

Cao Yao gave a light cough and said: "General, incorporate the camp's artillery platoon into the vanguard as well. The last battle made me want to try this kind of tactic."

Actually, it wasn't just the last battle; it was the revelation Cao Yao gained when he concentrated the use of small cannons to shatter Li Bei's battle line.

However, Cao Yao hadn't detailed his thoughts to Liu Chengzong.

Liu Chengzong thought for a moment, smiled, and asked: "How do you plan to organize it? Pushing the Hongyi cannon forward?"

They didn't have matching ammunition for this Hongyi cannon.

That cannon could fire a solid iron ball weighing up to eight catties, while its standard ammunition consisted of a two-catty solid ball and two catties four ounces of scattershot.

Yet without matching ammunition, time didn't permit casting cannonballs locally. They could only have artisans make wooden sabots—wooden cannonball bases—to fire their existing cannonballs.

Earlier, when they mounted the cannon to bombard Xiliang Village, they fired three-catty iron balls, which were ammunition from General Li Bei's cannons, along with one-catty solid balls and various sizes of scattershot they had cast in Xingzi River during the winter.

Cao Yao was extremely confident: "If we can push it, we push it; if we can't, it doesn't matter. We don't rely on heavy cannons."

Fortunately, the enemy consisted of garrison troops lacking heavy firepower. Liu Chengzong didn't dwell on it further, merely saying: "Then I'll watch how you fight, just don't lose the cannon."

"Oh, come on! If I lose the cannon, what am I going to hug to sleep at night?!"

The commanders roared with laughter. Cao Yao had actually hugged that bronze cannon to sleep for a whole night.

Just for one night; later he said it was too icy, and he'd have to wait until summer to hug it to sleep again.

With the army's marching direction settled, the Lion Camp organized their arms and armor, and each platoon departed in succession.

Yang Yao, accompanied by Liu Chengzong and Shi Chengwo, set up camp in Weijiayu, while the main force followed Liu Chengzong all the way south.

They didn't march far—merely fifteen miles—before Wei Qian'er's advance scouts sent back word: the enemy forces were dividing into two camps in the fields beside the southern military road, setting up stoves and cooking meals.

The enemy scouts had also spotted them; the reconnaissance troops of both sides clashed first, and after mutual casualties, each retreated to their own side.

By the time Wei Qian'er's second team of scouts pressed forward, Feng Rang and Cao Yao's vanguard had arrived within five miles of the imperial camp, and the two sides could see each other across mountain valleys and farm ridges.

The imperial scouts shrank back close to their camp. The two thousand-man columns, split into dual camps, were gathering together, and distant banner soldiers who had been gathering firewood were also running back toward the camp.

Although the local tactical posture across both Fenzhou and Pingyang prefectures resembled the Nurhaci spirit-summoning array, this imperial force clearly lacked Du Song's bravery.

Abandoning even their camp, they gathered their troops and began a steady retreat.

At this moment, the main force of three platoons led by Liu Chengzong—comprising Gao Xian, Zhong Hu, and Wang Wenxiu—was still hurrying up from behind. The military road here was narrow, and both sides were flanked by terrain unsuitable for deploying large troop movements.

While the front units had reached within six miles of the enemy camp, the rear units were still marching ten miles away.

Hearing that the forward imperial troops were about to run, Liu Chengzong hurriedly ordered all platoons to assemble their cavalry, dash forward along the right side of the military road, and reach the battlefield as quickly as possible to pin down the enemy.

Even so, the marching speed of the main force became even slower.

Fortunately, after retreating for about a mile, the imperial troops stopped moving back.

When Cao Yao sent word back to Liu Chengzong from the front, he put it this way: "They can't retreat anymore. The road behind is narrow; only right here can troops deploy."

When Liu Chengzong led his personal bodyguard cavalry to the imperial camp, the thousand imperial troops from Luxian had already formed up on the southern slope.

That was a slope high in the south and low in the north.

Cao Yao and Feng Rang had closed to within a mile of the enemy, deploying their main force across a small stream. After slightly adjusting their formation into a hollow square, they waded across the stream at a very slow pace, pressing up toward the imperial formation.

Liu Chengzong could see it clearly: at the very front of this formation were Feng Rang's infantry and the musketeers of the artillery platoon, while the middle was packed entirely with Cao Yao's gunners.

At least thirty small cannons, weighing less than a hundred catties each, were being carried forward by the artillerymen.

There were also six breech-loading Fochang cannons and general's cannons mounted on three-wheeled carriages, pushed forward by the artillery crew.

That Hongyi cannon was somewhat unfortunate; its new carriage hadn't been completed when the imperial troops moved, and its four small wheels seemed to get stuck while crossing the stream.

Through the telescope, Cao Yao looked furious enough to burst over this four-wheeled carriage, impotently raging beside the gun. Finally, he had his subordinates prop up the rear of the cannon to remove the ammunition, load a three-catty solid shot, and fire a round at the sloping imperial formation right from the middle of the stream.

It scared the targeted imperial troops out of their wits.

The cannonball landed in the formation, and everyone nearby scattered, giving Liu Chengzong a clear view.

That cannonball struck at least four soldiers, resulting in one dead and three wounded.

It first hit the ear of a drawn bow, driving that arrow into a nearby soldier while the snapped bowstring lashed across the archer's face.

Then it sheared off a helmet spike, injuring the helmeted soldier to varying degrees, and finally slammed straight into the chest of an unlucky fellow.

The imperial troops' artillery also began firing. They used crouching tiger cannons, planted at the front of their battle line, all firing simultaneously.

The momentum was tremendous, but the range was a bit far, and only a few lead pellets and iron balls fell before the battle line.

Following that, the imperial troops began unleashing volleys of arrows. Because of the slope, even more archers were able to shoot at them.

Thanks to the armor and shields gifted by the banner soldiers of Fenzhou Guard, Feng Rang's troops had good protection, rendering the arched volleys largely ineffective. However, several musketeers and archers were hit by arrows or bullets and had to be dragged to the rear by the artillerists.

Feng Rang's archers began returning fire, all the while continuing their advance.

Feng Rang's combat soldiers and auxiliary troops coordinated well: the combat soldiers fired an arrow and took two steps, while the auxiliary troops acting as swordsmen and shield-bearers moved in tandem with them.

Closing to within a hundred paces, Liu Chengzong knitted his brows. At this range, firing could already commence.

The matchlock-men and bird-gunners of both sides began exchanging fire at this distance, discharging volleys every few paces and kicking up patches of bloody mist along the frontline where the two armies met.

Yet Cao Yao still hadn't fired, stubbornly pushing all the way to forty or fifty paces.

Liu Chengzong could already see that the crouching tiger cannonners at the very front of the imperial formation were withdrawing back into their lines, while the front-row archers were putting away their bows, drawing their waist sabers, and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the pikemen behind them.

Cao Yao's battle formation finally moved. Feng Rang's soldiers began pulling back to clear the artillery's field of fire, and a row of crouching tiger cannons and pearl-bursting cannons was planted at the front of the formation.

The imperial troops were nearly frantic; two front-row officers drew their sabers, led their men charging down the slope.

The cannons roared.

Puffs of gunpowder smoke burst irregularly along the frontline for a brief moment, blanketing the forward edge where the two armies met in a thick haze.

Liu Chengzong could no longer see the clash between the two armies. He could only see enemy banners tumbling down within the enemy formation, rows of imperial troops collapsing to the ground, and the Lion Camp soldiers rushing into the smoke brandishing their weapons in successive waves, until finally, the imperial troops scattered and fled in all directions.