Chapter 567: Someone Always Gets Anxious
Wang Ziyong declared, "Regardless of whether they're the Divine Machine Battalion or not, they're attacking our city. Now, let's hear it, everyone: should we fight, or should we retreat?"
The Southern Camp Eight Great Kings bellowed, "Fight! What the hell are we afraid of? We have two hundred thousand men, and a city to defend. If we hide in the streets and alleys, their firearm troops won't be able to effectively deploy. We can't lose!"
Gao Jie, the 'Mountain Vulture,' snarled, "Fight! I'm going to get my revenge for the battle at Pingyang Prefecture City!"
Zhang Xianzhong, the 'West Camp Eight Great Kings,' countered, "Retreat. There's no need to fight government troops with such good equipment. Wouldn't it be better for us to attack weaker government forces?"
Li Zicheng, the 'Dashing General,' sighed, "I also think we should retreat. Their strength is inexplicable; I have a faint, unsettling premonition."
Gao Yingxiang, the 'Chuǎng Wang,' stated, "I'll follow Brother Zijing Liang's lead."
Ma Shouying, the 'Old Huihui,' whistled nonchalantly. "Whatever you decide. All my troops are cavalry. If you say fight, I can charge in faster than you, even if I start later. If you want to retreat, I'll still be the first one gone, even if I start last."
Wang Ziyong looked from side to side, carefully assessed the opposing forces, studied the terrain, and then gazed up at the rainy sky. Decisively, he declared, "Fight! We can't run every time we encounter tough government troops. We'll defend for a wave, at least, and then consider retreating if we can't hold them back."
Zhang Xianzhong raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You're really going to fight? Well, my apologies! I have no desire to fight this one. You all do as you please, I'm heading out."
Wang Ziyong bristled with rage. Several of his subordinates' hands instinctively went to their saber hilts, ready to rush forward and cut down the West Camp Eight Great Kings at Wang Ziyong's command. But Zhang Xianzhong's men were no slouches; their hands simultaneously gripped their own weapon hilts.
The scene froze in an eerie standoff for a second. Then, Wang Ziyong waved a dismissive hand. "Let him go! Anyone else who wants to leave, feel free."
His subordinates' hands moved away from their hilts, and Zhang Xianzhong strode out, leading his followers in a swift retreat northward.
Next, Li Zicheng, the Dashing General, also sighed. "I don't want to fight either. This is a meaningless battle, and we're sure to lose. Fellow leaders, we'll meet again in the wider world."
Having spoken, the Dashing General also led his forces away.
Wang Ziyong called out, "Alright, those of us who remain will fight this battle properly! My troops, the Chuǎng Wang's, the Southern Camp Eight Great Kings', and the Mountain Vulture's forces will hold the front. Old Huihui, have your cavalry ready to flank their firearm troops at any moment."
The bandit chiefs roared, "Understood!"
The Gao Family Village Militia began its advance.
Interestingly, they didn't attack in a traditional "firearm formation." Instead, they spread out into skirmisher squads of ten men each. Four thousand soldiers dispersed across a wide area, approaching Daning County City in a loose formation.
This was, of course, because Gao Family Village had long since phased out all smoothbore guns; now, even their most basic firearms were rifled muskets.
Once the era of rifled firearms arrived, dense formations became completely unnecessary.
Their scattered approach baffled not only the rebel troops inside the city but also Ma Xianglin.
Before the battle, Lao Nanfeng had instructed his White Pole Soldiers to "protect the firearm troops." But with these firearm troops spread out so widely, how could he protect them? "Damn it, there's no way to guard them!" he grumbled.
Ma Xianglin, resourceful in a crisis, divided his Sichuan White Pole Soldiers into two units. He led one himself, positioned on the left vanguard of the loose formation, while his wife, Zhang Fengyi, commanded the other on the right vanguard.
The two forces slowly closed in...
Neither side possessed heavy artillery, so there were no long-range trick shots to be played. Soon, the firearm troops entered the 500-meter range of Daning County City.
"Don't fire yet!" Cheng Xu raised a hand. "It's raining, which will affect our range. Keep moving forward."
The militia continued to advance.
At this moment, Gao Jie, the Mountain Vulture, defending inside the city, began to feel uneasy. He had been thoroughly beaten by Chassepot riflemen outside Pingyang Prefecture City once before. It was at roughly this distance that the enemy's firearm troops had opened fire then.
Now, as the enemy entered this range again, he felt immense pressure.
He didn't bother to warn his comrades. Instead, he simply told his own troops to take cover, shrinking himself behind the nearest makeshift barricade.
The distance continued to shrink.
Four hundred meters... three hundred meters...
Cheng Xu waved his command flag. "Halt! Free fire!"
"Bang!"
A single shot was the first to pierce the sound of the rain. An archer under Wang Ziyong's command, looking up, fell backward. The archer deserved his misfortune; he had stood atop the hastily piled "city wall," bow drawn, a defiant look on his face that seemed to promise, "If they get within bowshot, I'll kill them all."
Who else would invite such a beating?
Then, "Bang, bang, bang!" Gunshots rang out in an incessant volley.
The troops of Wang Ziyong and the Southern Camp Eight Great Kings, who had been flaunting their strength on the "city wall," suffered immediate and heavy casualties.
The rebel soldiers dared not show off any longer, scrambling for cover.
In the blink of an eye, the temporary city wall of Daning County, which had just moments ago appeared heavily guarded, now showed no one. Only a few timid faces could be seen peeking out from behind cover.
Cheng Xu ordered, "Advance slowly, maintain free fire."
The skirmisher squads continued their gradual forward movement...
They showed no urgency.
Ma Xianglin was frantic. *Why are you moving so slowly? Damn it, I really want to let the White Pole Soldiers charge... Hold back, forcibly hold back! For the sake of the telescope.*
At times like these, when the main force isn't anxious, its subordinates become agitated.
The calmer the militia's approach, the more desperate the rebels grew to engage.
Soon, a rebel archer couldn't take it anymore. He poked half his body out from behind cover, drew his bow, and nocked an arrow...
He didn't even get to fire.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
No one knew how many skirmishers fired at him simultaneously. The archer didn't even let out a gasp before he crumpled to the ground, never to rise again.
The others were badly shaken and continued to hide.
But though the militia's advance was slow, they were getting closer and closer.
Soon, they had pressed to within half an arrow's distance. Panic began to ripple through the rebel ranks. If they didn't come out to defend now, wouldn't the enemy be at the foot of their "city wall" in an instant?
This Daning County had no real city walls, only a temporary makeshift barrier of rocks and wood, not even waist-high in places. If the enemy reached this wall, a single stride would bring them over.
Wang Ziyong roared, "Charge!"
They were the defenders, yet at this moment, they were forced to charge.
Who, then, was the attacker, and who the defender?
The rebel soldiers let out a ragged cheer, trying to boost their morale, then braced their hands on the "city wall" and leaped out.
"Bang, bang, bang!" Firearms roared.
To leap out was to die.
Hordes of fierce bandits fell in an instant. Someone screamed, "We can't charge!"
"We have to retreat!"
"Abandon that broken low wall!"
The front-line rebels began to disobey orders. Some crouched low, retreating backward, but if they didn't crouch low enough, if even a sliver of their back was exposed, they would hear a distant "bang!" and the person shot in the back would collapse, unable to get up again.
"Damn it!" Wang Ziyong bellowed. "Retreat into the streets, use the buildings to fight them in close quarters!"
(Note: I have translated "Southern Camp Eight Great Kings" as "Southern Camp Eight Great Kings" as it follows the pattern of "West Camp Eight Great Kings" for Zhang Xianzhong. I also adapted'He meow'to'Damn it' or'He grumbled' as appropriate for a modern novel feel, and'Pear Hill University'to'immense pressure'. 'For the sake of the telescope' is adapted to'for the sake of the telescope' while hinting at its broad strategic meaning to the reader. )
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