Chapter 121: Falling Short of Success

Outside the city, Jing Maocheng’s Crow Battalion and Li Xuan’s Lonely Mountain Battalion waited silently in the darkness. Regardless of how brutally the Huihui Battalion fought against the government troops on and beneath the city walls, they remained indifferent. While other areas were illuminated by torches and filled with the thunderous roar of battle, the positions held by the Crow and Lonely Mountain Battalions were pitch black, without a single torch to be seen.

The Crow and Lonely Mountain Battalions could be considered among the few elite units within the Shaanxi rebel forces. In particular, Jing Maocheng’s Crow Battalion was composed entirely of eight hundred hardened bandits and mounted highwaymen, each possessing formidable skills, a lack of fear for death, and a ruthless disposition. Li Xuan’s Lonely Mountain Battalion, selected from surrendered government soldiers, also boasted a combat effectiveness not to be underestimated.

Though these two battalions were somewhat thin in numbers, Li Yan believed that as long as they could intercept Wang Pu’s ambush force just as it emerged, the constraints of the city gate would prevent the enemy from maneuvering effectively. In this way, the Crow and Lonely Mountain Battalions would instead hold a numerical advantage. Furthermore, once the two armies were locked in close-quarters combat, the government troops on the ramparts would be unable to provide support with rolling logs or stones for fear of harming their own men.

Of course, this depended on whether Wang Pu truly intended to send out an ambush force for a counterattack. If the ambush was merely meant to bolster the city's defenses, Li Yan’s plan to counter the enemy’s scheme would fall through, leaving the rebel forces with no choice but to launch a frontal assault.

After waiting for what felt like an eternity, with the deafening sounds of battle making his ears go numb, Jing Maocheng heard Li Xuan’s voice suddenly ring out: "Old Jing, they’re coming out!"

"Hmm?"

Jing Maocheng sprang up and looked back. Indeed, the tightly sealed Datong city gate was slowly swinging open. Immediately after, bursts of fire erupted outside the gate, accompanied by deafening explosions. The soldiers of the Huihui Battalion, crowded outside, were instantly thrown into chaos, falling in droves.

Within moments, the Huihui Battalion’s lines collapsed like a falling mountain. Amidst the continuous flashes of blinding fire and earth-shattering explosions, rows of neatly armored Ming government troops marched out from the gate with rhythmic precision and orderly formation.

"Damn it!" Jing Maocheng clenched his iron fists and growled, "It’s cannons!"

"No!" Li Xuan, who had defected from the government army, shook his head. "Not cannons. Those are Dragon King Cannons!"

"Dragon King Cannons?" Jing Maocheng asked, stunned. "What are those?"

Li Xuan replied urgently, "No time to explain. They don't have much range, maybe twenty or thirty paces at most. Old Jing, your men have many former highwaymen who are skilled with the bow. Shoot those damned government soldiers back!"

Jing Maocheng nodded heavily, unslung his iron-reinforced bow, and raised it to the sky. He roared, "Brothers, it's our turn! Pick up your bows and shoot those arrogant government soldiers back! Kill!" With a shout, he led the eight hundred outlaws in a charge toward the South Gate of Datong. Many of these outlaws were indeed master archers; they could shoot accurately while running at full speed. Experts like Jing Maocheng, using iron-reinforced bows, could loose arrows at the Ming musketeers from over two hundred paces away.

At such a distance, the hit rate was naturally low, but with the volume of arrows, they were bound to find their marks.

*Swish, swish, swish...*

Sharp arrows rained down from the dark night sky, and the musketeers emerging from the city soon began to suffer casualties. One unlucky soldier, just as he was lighting his Dragon King Cannon, was pierced through the chest by an arrow. His hand loosened, and the smoking explosive rolled to the ground. A nearby soldier rushed to pick it up, but before he could throw it, it detonated with a boom, killing five men instantly and severely wounding a dozen more.

At this moment, the double-edged sword of strict discipline revealed its lethality. In the Ming Dynasty, while firearms had been used for centuries, tactical doctrine remained in a primitive, exploratory stage. Though earlier generals like Lan Yu and Qi Jiguang had researched these tactics, their knowledge had not been widely preserved. Under these circumstances, Wang Pu could not instill complex tactics into his men; he lacked the experience to teach some, and his subordinates—mostly illiterate, crude men—might not have understood them even if he tried.

This resulted in a problematic outcome: Wang Pu’s musketeer unit possessed rigid discipline but lacked flexible tactics. They were like puppets; they moved only when the commander pulled the strings and remained motionless otherwise. In most situations, this was fine, but in others, it proved disastrous.

Because the commander, "Big Beard," had strictly ordered the first company to use Dragon King Cannons to blast a gap, they could only use those weapons. Regardless of how the situation evolved, they were forbidden from firing their muskets until a new order was given. Big Beard’s tactic was simple: use the cannons to shatter the rebels outside the gate, then march out in formation to deliver a fatal blow. It was usually effective.

Unfortunately, Li Yan had preemptively placed two elite units in ambush. Jing Maocheng’s eight hundred archers possessed a clear advantage in effective range over the Dragon King Cannons. By the time Big Beard realized the situation, the first company had already suffered heavy losses. Their strict discipline, which had once saved them, now led them to their doom; many died under the arrows without once breaking formation to return fire with their muskets, as they dared not violate the order.

Li Xuan’s Lonely Mountain Battalion seized the opportunity and charged. Despite heavy losses from the cannons, they eventually engaged the musketeers in close-quarters combat.

***

On a small hill outside the city, Li Hu exclaimed, "Just as you predicted, Brother! That bastard Wang Pu really hid his elites in the barbican. If you hadn't anticipated this and set Jing Maocheng and Li Xuan in ambush, the outcome of this battle would have been uncertain."

Li Yan nodded and said, "Li Hu."

Li Hu stood to attention. "I am here."

"Pass the order," Li Yan commanded. "Let the Geluo, Gaishi, Luan-shi, and Zuojin battalions attack simultaneously. All four battalions are to assault the South Gate of Datong at once!"

"Understood!" Li Hu replied and left to carry out the order.

***

On the watchtower, Wang Pu observed the scene through a slit. He had been pleased when the cannons shattered the rebels, but his joy was short-lived. The sudden appearance of the rebel elites had stalled his musketeers. Because the gate was narrow, most musketeers could not exit, and those who had were not ordered to form ranks. The Dragon King Cannons were being suppressed by the rebel arrows, and several had detonated prematurely, killing his own men.

Soon, the rebels approached from three directions, trapping the hundred-plus musketeers in a narrow area near the gate. The only saving grace was that Wang Pu had ordered bayonets fitted to every musket. While not as convenient as spears or sabers, they at least offered a defense, unlike the older Ming firearms that became useless clubs once the enemy closed the distance.

"What is happening?" Xiao Qi shouted. "Where did these rebels come from?"

"Indeed," Lu Liu added with a grave expression. "They seem to have been waiting. They stayed hidden until Big Beard’s men exited the city. Could there be a traitor who leaked the ambush plans?"

"Impossible," Xiao Qi shook his head. "Even if there were a traitor, how could they have passed the message so quickly?"

"Li Yan... it must be Li Yan," Wang Pu said in a low voice. "He truly lives up to his reputation. He must have guessed I would hide an ambush in the barbican and prepared his own trap. He waited until my men were committed, then struck, pinning them in the barbican."

"General, look!" Lu Liu shouted. "The rebel units that were holding back are moving! They’re launching a full-scale attack!"

"Ah," Wang Pu’s expression changed. "I see. How formidable!"

Wang Pu quickly ordered, "Xiao Qi, go support Zhao Lijin immediately! Lu Liu, tell Big Beard to change the plan: have his men form firing lines inside the barbican, open the gate, and fire once the rebels enter."

After they left, Nenniang asked, "General, what makes Li Yan so formidable?"

Wang Pu explained, "He can seize fleeting opportunities on the shifting battlefield and react instantly. I was careless and almost caused a disaster. He judged that my elites were not on the walls, correctly guessed they were in the barbican, and set his own trap to pin us down while he launched his main assault. He is a terrifyingly sharp opponent."

***

Inside the barbican, Big Beard was frantic. With his men trapped and the musketeers unable to maneuver, he was at a loss until Lu Liu arrived with Wang Pu’s new orders.

"Understood!" Big Beard shouted to his subordinates. "Form up! Get into position!"

Within moments, eight companies had formed firing lines, their muskets leveled at the gate tunnel. Big Beard roared, "First and second companies, withdraw! Fall back into the city and clear the flanks!"

The musketeers retreated, and as the Lonely Mountain Battalion rebels rushed in, hoping to seize the gate, they were met with a wall of lead.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

The first wave of rebels was cut down like wheat before a scythe. The second wave, pushed forward by the sheer mass of those behind them, met the same fate. The barbican became a slaughterhouse, with the rebels serving as live targets for the five hundred new recruits.

On the city walls, the situation was dire until Xiao Qi arrived with five hundred of Wang Pu’s personal guards. Their arrival turned the tide. After several volleys and a barrage of Dragon King Cannons, the rebels were forced back.

Outside, on the small hill, Li Yan’s expression darkened. The battle was not going as expected. The government troops, having overcome their initial panic, were rapidly regaining their fighting edge. The gap in capability between the Shaanxi rebels and the Ming government army was becoming painfully apparent.

"Li Hu!" Li Yan suddenly shouted. "Order the entire army to withdraw! Have the Qixian Battalion prepare to cover our retreat!"

"But..." Li Hu hesitated.

"Do it now!" Li Yan urged.

In the chaos, the rebel forces began to retreat like an ebbing tide. The fierce battle ended, leaving the ground covered in corpses and the air thick with the stench of blood, gunpowder, and the grim silence of death.