Chapter 819: They Pay More
From atop Daizhou's city walls, Sun Chuanting watched the battle raging outside, utterly mesmerized.
He knew how ferocious the Manchus were.
In fact, no one understood it better than he did; he was an authority on frontier matters.
Yet, the swiftness with which these formidable Manchus were defeated was something he hadn't anticipated.
What kind of terrifying militia was this?
First, they bombarded the Manchus with a round of cannons, then a mass of musketeers unleashed volley after volley. The two armies hadn't even fully engaged before the Manchus were sent scattering in utter disarray.
The Manchu infantry had cavalry on both flanks, but now, these horsemen were just as rooted to the spot in bewildered awe.
In the past, the central Eight Banners army would hold the enemy, gaining the upper hand, then the flanking cavalry would sweep in, instantly encircling and fragmenting the opposing forces.
But now, in a single clash, the banner soldiers in the center had completely broken.
They didn't have much time to ponder. On the left flank, Gao Chuwu waved his hand, roaring, "Open fire! Attack!"
On the right flank, Wang Er bellowed, "Target their cavalry! Don't let them scatter!"
"Bang, bang, bang, bang!"
The crackle of muskets erupted in a continuous barrage.
Manchu cavalry and the Mongolian horsemen fighting for them fell in droves.
Sun Chuanting suddenly snapped out of his daze and bellowed, "Garrison soldiers inside the city, listen to me! The Manchus outside have been routed! We must also press the attack! Charge!"
With the Prefect dead, Daizhou's garrison was leaderless and in utter chaos. Now, hearing Sun Chuanting's roar, the defenders knew this was the perfect moment for a major counterattack.
There was no time for hesitation!
The chance of victory was fleeting.
"Charge!"
The city's defenders rallied their last reserves of strength, following behind the Sun family retainers, and surged towards the Manchu soldiers who had breached the walls.
The common folk of Daizhou were also galvanized, grabbing all manner of farming tools, and swarming onto the city walls.
"I'll beat you to death, you dog bastard!"
"Give me back my wife and children!"
The Manchu elite soldiers who had already penetrated the city panicked. Their main force outside had been routed, and their vanguard inside was now cut off, an isolated force. How could they possibly fight now?
Their morale collapsed, their fighting spirit withered, and they were instantly pulverized.
Once the Manchus within the city were cleared out, the common folk breathed a sigh of relief. As they climbed the city walls to gaze outwards, they saw that the main Manchu army had already retreated...
That mysterious army, whose origins were unknown, was relentlessly pursuing the retreating Manchus.
The musketry still echoed intermittently, and the retreating Manchus continued to fall, leaving behind a trail of dead as they fled.
Seeing their masters getting thoroughly beaten, the Mongolian cavalry immediately reverted to their traditional "wolf culture": when you're strong, you're the alpha, and I'll follow. When you're weak, to hell with you, *I'm* the alpha.
With a sudden clamor, the Mongolian cavalry dispersed, employing their ancestral, peerless horsemanship to vanish in an instant.
The Gao Family Village Militia didn't bother chasing the Mongolians; they focused solely on the Manchus.
They pursued them, firing all the while.
A hail of musket fire!
This chase, with one side pursuing and the other fleeing, stretched for fifteen *li*.
The Manchus were forced to abandon their armor and weapons, leaving behind countless dead. Finally, in utter humiliation, they escaped with their lives—
As evening fell, the setting sun blazed like fire.
The shadow of Bianjing Tower stretched long and stark.
A group of garrison soldiers had just placed the Daizhou Prefect's body into a coffin, preparing to carry it out of the city for burial.
On the north city wall, Tie Niaofei strode up to Sun Chuanting, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Mister Sun, I arrived late to assist and almost failed to save the people of Daizhou. My apologies, my deepest apologies."
Sun Chuanting looked embarrassed. "Mister Tie, you're too modest. Daizhou truly owes you a great debt this time; otherwise... the city would have fallen, and countless common folk would have been brutally massacred."
At this point, a hint of curiosity crept into his voice: "Mister Tie, where did you procure such a formidable reinforcement force?"
Tie Niaofei smiled. "Oh, well, let me introduce you."
He pulled Cheng Xu forward, pointing to him. "This gentleman's surname is He, given name Jiu. He's a militia instructor, and the reinforcements we brought this time were recruited and trained by him."
"A militia?" Sun Chuanting pointed at the formidable musketeer force still clearing the battlefield outside the city, astonishment in his voice. "That's a militia?"
"Indeed! It is a militia."
Sun Chuanting pressed, "Not the New Divine Machine Camp?"
Tie Niaofei chuckled. "Nonsense. The Divine Machine Camp is nowhere near as wealthy as we are."
Sun Chuanting was speechless.
Tie Niaofei, not wanting to appear overly boastful, quickly elaborated on the explanation: "This militia was funded and established by many Jin merchants, salt smugglers, regular merchants, local gentry, and artisans. It cost us quite a sum."
At this point, Tie Niaofei shifted his tone. "And it's all thanks to that story Mister Sun wrote."
Sun Chuanting looked confused. "The story *I* wrote?"
Tie Niaofei explained, "Didn't you write 'The Story of a Border Soldier from Dalinghe'? I took that story back, and it's been widely circulated. After reading it, everyone grew to despise the Manchus and deeply sympathized with the fate of Dalinghe. To prevent similar tragedies from befalling themselves, those with money contributed funds, and those with strength offered their efforts, thus forming this militia."
Sun Chuanting heard him out and grudgingly accepted this explanation. After all, it was the only one that seemed somewhat plausible. He knew full well that the imperial court certainly didn't have enough money to form such a formidable musketeer force; only private merchants could fund such an endeavor.
Sun Chuanting turned to Cheng Xu, cupping his hands in greeting. "My thanks to Instructor He for coming to our aid. Your firearm unit is indeed remarkably well-trained."
Cheng Xu, however, had no desire to hog the limelight and immediately adopted a humble tone. "It's not that I train well; it's that the Jin merchants provided ample funds. If they had given all that money to Mister Sun, he would undoubtedly train a force far more formidable than my humble militia."
Sun Chuanting, flattered by Cheng Xu's words, thought to himself: *If only I were given vast sums of money, I might truly be able to train a formidable and resilient army.* Alas, such thoughts were merely pipe dreams.
Sun Chuanting quickly got straight to the point. "Mister Tie, Instructor He, what are your plans now that Daizhou has been saved?"
Cheng Xu replied, "We've traveled a long distance and are not very knowledgeable about border affairs. As for what should be done next, we'd appreciate your guidance, Mister Sun."
Sun Chuanting pondered for a moment before speaking. "The Manchus have captured Shangfang Fortress and then split into four columns, entering the Xuan-Da Command. No one truly knows their precise locations, as they're constantly on the move, and our scouts find it difficult to operate outside the city. We're utterly in the dark..."
Cheng Xu asked, "How, then, should we respond?"
Sun Chuanting picked up a charred piece of wood and quickly sketched a simple map on the ground, then drew several circles. "The four Manchu armies will likely converge in Yingzhou, so I suspect they are—
—operating here, here, and also here. To prevent the Manchus from plundering the common folk, the best approach is to dispatch troops to strategically guard Zijing Pass and Yanmen Pass, while simultaneously sending forces to Wanqiuan Left Guard and Shangfang Fortress..."
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