Chapter 517: The Shield Carts Arrive
Three days passed in a flash.
Outside Puzhou City.
Wang Guozhong gazed at the fifteen shield carts, four catapults, and four battering rams lined up before him, a smug satisfaction swelling in his chest.
“See? This is the benefit of becoming an official army man,” Wang Guozhong declared, gesturing at the brand-new, massive siege engines, beaming with pride. “Back when I ran with Wang Jiayin, I was always on the receiving end of these contraptions. Now that I’m one of the officials, I can conscript civilians, build these huge machines, and go smash someone else. So exhilarating, hahahaha!”
A subordinate sidled up, chuckling. “Following General Wang brings us prestige too. With these siege engines, attacking Xing Honglang, that small-time salt smuggler, in her little water stockade will be as easy as pie.”
“Hahahaha!” Wang Guozhong clapped his subordinate’s shoulder. “Well said! Give the order for the entire army to set off!”
Wang Guozhong’s army began to move. Three thousand fierce bandits, laden with a multitude of siege engines, advanced towards the Gudu Ferry water stockade in Yongji.
Prefect Qiu Qianfan of Puzhou stood on the city walls, watching the army depart, and couldn’t help but sigh deeply. There was no good reason for him to go after Xing Honglang. If he angered her, she might wipe out Wang Guozhong first, then counter-attack Puzhou City, leaving him the one out of luck again. Alas... he hoped this wouldn’t escalate too much—
“They’re here! Wang Guozhong’s army is on the move!”
With this news, the entire Gudu Ferry dock in Yongji sprang into action. Zao Ying personally led a large contingent of cavalry charging out of the water stockade to search the outer perimeter for Wang Guozhong’s scouts.
A fierce scout skirmish erupted first.
The scouts on both sides cordially exchanged a volley of crude, yet ironically termed “polite,” insults, vowing to desecrate each other's ancestors, then drew their bows and sabers for a desperate chase.
Wang Guozhong’s scouts, of course, were no match for Zao Ying’s entire cavalry battalion. Three hundred cavalrymen pursued and attacked them fiercely along the perimeter, and in short order, drove all of Wang Guozhong’s scouts more than ten li away.
With the surrounding area confirmed clear of enemy scouts, two hundred Chassepot riflemen and one hundred riflemen, carrying dry rations and waterskins, exited the fort. They split into groups of five or six and moved to the pre-dug pits along the flanks of the battlefield.
They peeled back the turf and wooden planks covering the pits, jumped inside, then carefully re-covered the planks and replaced the turf.
Five or six soldiers huddled in each foxhole, waiting in silent anticipation.
They waited this way until dusk.
The sky was almost dark when Wang Guozhong’s army slowly arrived within ten li of the water stockade’s perimeter.
Lugging their cumbersome siege engines, they had only covered twenty li the entire day.
Once night fell, assaulting the fort became impractical. Wang Guozhong had no choice but to set up a temporary camp ten li away. Having risen from the ranks of roving bandits, he possessed no knowledge of proper military encampment, so he pitched a haphazard camp. If they were to face a night raid, they would surely suffer heavy casualties.
However, while a night raid on the enemy camp would likely succeed, it might also allow the enemy general to escape under cover of darkness. Gao Family Village did not wish to alert the enemy prematurely, so they did not launch a night raid on him that night.
It was tough on the soldiers who had already hidden in the foxholes. They had no choice but to spend the night in the pits, pulling out their dry rations to fill their stomachs, opening their waterskins for a couple of sips, and sleeping leaning against the walls of the pits.
Early the next morning...
The mournful blare of bugles rang out, signaling that Wang Guozhong’s army was preparing to assault the stockade.
The same messenger, once again, ran to the main gate of the water stockade. “Xing Honglang, this is your last chance to accept pacification!”
Xing Honglang snorted. “Go back and tell Wang Guozhong: who in the world would trust a man who betrays his own leader? Surrender to him? Never!”
Meanwhile, Yang He, the Supreme Commander of the Three Border Regions, who was rushing towards Gudu Ferry to host a “pacification feast,” suddenly encountered a mounted messenger halfway. The messenger burst into tears the moment he saw him. “Lord Yang, Lord Yang, I am one of Xing Honglang’s subordinates from Yongji! We’re being bullied!”
Yang He uttered a sound of inquiry. “Don’t panic yet. Tell this official what happened.”
The messenger cried, “We were stationed at the Gudu Ferry dock, waiting for Lord Yang to offer us amnesty. Unexpectedly, Wang Guozhong, the newly appointed Puzhou Deputy Commander, started persecuting us as soon as he took office! We desperately explained that we were already preparing to surrender to Lord Yang and accept pacification, but Wang Guozhong completely ignored us. He insisted on attacking us!”
Yang He flew into a rage. “Why? You were clearly preparing to accept pacification, and would soon serve as officials alongside him. Why would he still attack you?”
The messenger replied, “I don’t know! Perhaps... perhaps he still holds a grudge because we didn’t follow Wang Jiayin’s command back then.”
Yang He frowned, pondering for a moment, and seemed to understand something. It must be that these two bandit chiefs had an old feud! After Wang Guozhong accepted pacification and became an official, he seized the opportunity to punish a rebel leader with whom he had a grudge. This way, he could both eliminate an enemy and earn merit from the imperial court—a win-win situation!
Yes, that must be it!
Such matters were all too damn common in official circles.
Yang He quickly told his subordinates, “Hurry, hurry! Make the carriages and horses move faster! I must hurry to the Gudu Ferry dock!”
“Shield carts forward, advance slowly.”
Wang Guozhong, for the first time, got to use the massive siege engines typically reserved for official armies, and he swelled with smug satisfaction. With another wave of his hand, he added, “Catapults, follow!”
His soldiers, who still lacked any semblance of official military discipline and reeked of banditry, immediately pushed the massive shield carts, beginning their approach towards the water stockade.
The fifteen shield carts lined up in a single row, their thick wooden walls mounted on wheels. Advancing side-by-side, they resembled a colossal wall moving forward.
This was indeed an excellent method for dealing with firearm soldiers!
Moreover, this tactic was universal across East and West.
Whether in the Great Ming, Europe, or Warring States Japan, all independently developed these "high-tech" shield carts to counter firearm soldiers. It merely goes to show the similar ingenuity of humankind.
However, Gao Family Village’s firearm soldiers watched this spectacle with calm expressions, showing no fear in the slightest. Many turned their heads to look at the five groups of artillerymen hidden behind the stockade walls.
The artillerymen raised their hands, waving at the firearm soldiers with an incredibly confident flourish, signaling, “Don’t worry, leave it to us.”
“Don’t rush to engage!” Lao Nanfeng shouted loudly. “Artillerymen, don’t be too eager! Your range is too far, and the firearm soldiers can’t keep up. Don’t open fire as soon as the enemy enters your range. Wait for me. Wait until the firearm soldiers are also within firing range, then you fire.”
The artillerymen responded, “Understood!”
The artillerymen restrained their hands, itching for action, and eagerly awaited the enemy’s entry into their firing range.
From Wang Guozhong’s perspective, however, Xing Honglang’s water stockade was completely quiet. All the soldiers seemed to be merely staring helplessly at the shield carts.
His mood couldn’t help but brighten considerably. “Hahahaha, Xing Honglang is dumbfounded by my shield carts! She’s at a loss! She must surely be thinking of how to escape now.”
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