Chapter Thirty: The First Battle (Part Two)

The white-armored troops advanced at a remarkable speed. The phalanx commander had only just finished issuing his orders when the enemy had already closed to within ten paces of the formation. Normally, the accuracy of the arquebus was considered low—at a range of about fifty paces—but at such close quarters, it became even more precise than the bow. Thus, when the first volley rang out, a great number of white-armored soldiers fell before the phalanx. The Ming formation remained unshaken. Even when some white-armored enemies broke through, managing to kill a soldier at the front, they were quickly skewered by bayonets from other directions, collapsing in pools of blood.

Behind them, the Han auxiliaries were driven forward, but their timid demeanor and darting eyes foretold they would pose no threat to the phalanx. Indeed, as the Ming infantry advanced with leveled bayonets, the Han troops swiftly broke and fled. Not even the swords of the armored soldiers behind them could stop the retreating tide.

Meanwhile, the cavalry regiments advanced slowly on both flanks in tandem with the phalanx. On the left, Yang Guanggao gave a signal and charged with his horsemen into the fleeing Han troops. On the right, Cao Wenzhao acted almost simultaneously. The Han soldiers soon threw the armored ranks behind them into confusion, and those, too, began to flee. Du Du sighed deeply and withdrew with his personal guard.

At this moment, the drums sounded eight times in succession, signaling the infantry to halt and stand alert. After a brief rest, they began the pursuit again. The supply corps moved in to clear the battlefield, first carrying the wounded to the rear for treatment, then dispatching any surviving enemy with a final stroke, decapitating them, and gathering their armor and weapons. The rearmost infantry, who had not yet fought, marched forward in pursuit.

The cavalry continued to closely pursue the enemy. Their arquebuses had long since been discarded, each man now wielding a saber. As they overtook the enemy, they let their blades hang down; the speed of the horse alone was enough to cut down the fleeing adversaries. After a pursuit of roughly ten miles, Yang Guanggao ordered a halt—up ahead, the enemy's rearguard had formed up, their ranks bristling, and horse traps had been dug, leaving only a few narrow passages for their own retreating soldiers.

Yang Guanggao considered whether there was still an opportunity, but a sudden volley of arrows from the enemy forced the point—several unarmored cavalrymen had their legs struck, and dozens of horses were injured. Lacking ranged firepower, the cavalry had no choice but to rescue their wounded and withdraw slowly. Unwilling to accept this, Cao Wenzhao, after withdrawing just out of range, remained mounted and loosed ten arrows in quick succession, each finding its mark and felling ten enemies, prompting loud cheers from his fellow horsemen.

The two sides held their positions at a distance. Just then, the enemy's boats came downstream and drew up along the shore. The rear-guard troops began boarding in batches; as soon as one boat was filled, it crossed the river, unloaded, and returned for more.

At last, Zhou Yuji arrived with the infantry. Yang Guanggao and Cao Wenzhao moved their cavalry aside, spreading out on both wings, ready to pursue the enemy at any moment. Zhou Yuji ordered, "Three-rank volley fire," and personally beat the drum to set the rhythm for the foot soldiers. On this flat terrain, the range and lethality of the arquebus far surpassed that of the bow, and the disparity in armor between the enemy and the Ming troops made the mopping-up operation exceptionally smooth. With minimal casualties, the Ming wiped out most of the enemy rear-guard before they could board the boats, as well as some who had already embarked. Once again, Cao Wenzhao demonstrated his legendary archery, loosing eight arrows and felling eight men, all already aboard the boats. Amidst the cheers of his comrades, he steadied his trembling hands, raised his iron bow, and shouted, "All for the Great Ming, all for His Majesty!"

The soldiers echoed in unison, "All for the Great Ming, all for His Majesty!" Across the river, Du Du gazed at the bullet wound in his left arm, wincing at the deafening shouts. He closed his eyes in pain. How would the Khan punish him this time? Even the capital's garrison had become so formidable—was there any justice left in this world?

Chapter Fifteen

With the battlefield cleared, the tally for this engagement stood thus: 1,437 enemies killed, including 613 white-banners with no prisoners taken. They captured eight battalion banners and one commander's standard. The capital's garrison suffered 359 dead, 286 severely wounded, and 633 lightly wounded; according to the surgeons, the vast majority of the seriously wounded would survive.

The army rested for a day, then made the return march to Guangning in two days. Wang Huazhen had arranged a grand reception outside the city gates. He had long wished to take the offensive against the enemy, but every attempt had ended in disaster, with barely a tenth of his men making it back alive. This time, the capital's troops had returned with over six hundred enemy heads—a great boost to his prestige, and proof that his offensive strategy was sound. Thus, when Yang Guanggao requested Cao Wenzhao, he agreed at once.

He had another source of pride as well—he had dispatched the training officer Mao Wenlong deep into enemy territory to reclaim the coastal regions. On July 14th, Mao Wenlong reached Zhenjiang and, after arranging for Chen Liangce in the city garrison to act as his agent, led over a hundred men in a night attack, capturing the enemy's imperial relative Tong Yangzhen, his son Tong Fengnian, and nephew Tong Songnian. He then sent Chen Zhong and others to raid Shuangshan, where they captured and executed the enemy officer Miao Yizhen. Reports of these victories were already being relayed to the capital.

"Guanggao sends congratulations to the court, to His Majesty, and to the Governor," Yang Guanggao said, beaming at the news. Mao Wenlong's exploits at Zhenjiang would tie down enemy forces, further securing Guangning.

On August 15th, the capital's garrison began their journey home. The spoils and the lightly wounded were sent ahead by the supply corps using carts, while the severely wounded were left in Guangning to recover under medical care before returning to the capital. Along the way, more training was conducted, and by the time they reached Shanhaiguan, their daily march had increased to forty li.

When Mao Wenlong's victory reports reached the capital, the Ministry of War, persuaded by Wang Huazhen's strategy, urged Xiong Tingbi to take command beyond the pass. At this time, Xiong Tingbi was stationed at Yutunwei, more than a hundred li from Guangning. Yang Guanggao paid him a visit along the way. In front of them, Xiong Tingbi criticized Wang Huazhen's offensive tactics, doubting that relying on Mongol allies and internal agents would suffice to pacify the northeast in one stroke. All present agreed, yet, as officers of the capital's garrison, they could not openly comment, lest their words be taken as imperial opinion and exploited by those with ulterior motives.

Upon their return to the capital, the first act was to present the captured banners at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and the list of fallen heroes was entered into the Temple of Martyrs. With those ceremonies complete, the Emperor himself visited the camp.

Upon entering, all the officers received the Emperor with military honors. Cao Wenzhao suppressed the urge to kneel, awkwardly saluting in the prescribed fashion.

Zhu Youjiao returned the salute, then sat with the assembled commanders in the main tent. The eunuchs accompanying him began to announce imperial orders: All battalions of the capital's garrison would henceforth be known as the Imperial Guards. Yang Guangkui was promoted to Commander of the Imperial Guards (Senior Third Rank), overseeing all units; Yang Guanggao and Lu Qin were made Vice Commanders (Junior Third Rank), with Lu Qin commanding the artillery and Zhou Yuji as Deputy Commander (Senior Fourth Rank), commanding the infantry. Cao Wenzhao was appointed Provost of the Guards (Junior Fifth Rank), in charge of the cavalry. All officers received a one-rank promotion. Each soldier who had fought in Liaodong was awarded five taels of silver; those who had not participated received two, and further rewards and promotions were granted according to merit.