Chapter 838: Let Me Follow You
Wang Er's gaze flickered to the centurion. "Our people are concealed within the trenches. You and your men are to return to the fort and hold your ground there."
The centurion, utterly dumbfounded, stammered, "Ah? Y-yes... understood..." He led his sixty soldiers back into New Horse Fort, scrambling to the ramparts. From their elevated position, he surveyed the intricate network of trenches that encircled the fort, appearing like a colossal death trap laid across the landscape.
Two thousand men lay hidden within those earthen arteries, yet not a whisper of commotion rose from their ranks. Each soldier, when speaking, had consciously lowered their voice, ensuring no loud exclamations or shouts broke the profound silence.
Such rigorous military discipline left the centurion speechless with astonishment. He couldn't help but exhale, a deep sigh escaping his lips. "Who *are* these people, truly?"
The ambush stretched on for more than half a day. As dusk began to settle...
The Manchu forces still hadn't appeared, yet the hour for dinner had arrived. Within New Horse Fort, the centurion and his sixty men felt their stomachs rumble with hunger, but they possessed no provisions. All their food had been entrusted to their wives and daughters, who had carried it to hide within the Kouxian Ravine, leaving the soldiers entirely without supplies.
They had resigned themselves to a night of gnawing hunger when, to their surprise, Bai Mao ascended the ramparts of New Horse Fort. He tossed a packet of food into the centurion's hand. "Share this with your brothers," he instructed. "You can't fight on an empty stomach."
The centurion tore open the packet, his eyes widening to see both noodles and dried meat within...
Tears welled in his eyes, unbidden.
They slept soundly until the first light of dawn... The moment they stirred, a sentry's shrill cry pierced the stillness: "Manchu! The Manchu are here!"
It was a Manchu reconnaissance cavalry, numbering no more than five or six hundred. After pushing through the pass, the Manchu forces had fanned out to pillage, and such small detachments were now commonplace across the land.
Leading the cavalry unit was the very scout who had appeared yesterday, now whistling provocatively at New Horse Fort, a sneering, frivolous expression on his face. It was as if he was taunting, "Han people, we've come to claim this fort."
"Sound the alarm! Light the beacon tower!" the centurion roared. A soldier scrambled to the highest point of the fort, casting a torch into the beacon, and black smoke billowed skyward! By all rights, such a signal should have brought the border troops garrisoned in Datong Prefecture rushing to their aid. Yet, the centurion, Wang Er, Bai Mao, and even the approaching Manchu understood implicitly that this beacon was merely a futile gesture. No reinforcements would arrive—not one.
"Charge!" The Manchu cavalry captain swept his arm forward. "Seize this fort, and the dozens of villages beyond will be ours for the taking!"
The cavalry surged forward with a furious roar... While warhorses were ill-suited for assaulting fortifications, Manchu cavalry differed from their Mongol counterparts; they routinely dismounted to fight when engaging at close quarters.
Hundreds of horsemen galloped to within an arrow's flight of the fort, then dismounted in unison. They then sprinted, powerful strides carrying them directly towards New Horse Fort.
At that very instant, a head abruptly emerged from the ground ahead, framed by a thick, bristly beard. It was Wang Er from Baishui!
He swept his arm forward. "Fire!"
Heads indeed popped up everywhere from the skirmish pits and trenches. Their flintlock rifles, already loaded, were leveled at the Manchu soldiers who had just dismounted and were charging forward. Then, they unleashed their fire.
The centurion in New Horse Fort, too, was poised for combat. He had just drawn his bowstring taut when a chaotic volley of "bang-bang-bang-bang" erupted. The Manchu warrior he had sighted instantly became a bloody sieve. His arrow, naturally, remained unfired. He awkwardly shifted his aim to another enemy, poised to loose his shaft... when that Manchu also collapsed, riddled with bullets.
The sixty border soldiers watched in stunned silence as the musketeers delivered their performance. After a devastating barrage, the Manchu forces were utterly scattered and in disarray.
Wang Er leapt out from the trench. "Charge! Seize their warhorses!"
Bai Mao followed, emerging from cover. "Capture the enemy's warhorses! Let's add bricks and tiles to the construction of our village's cavalry force!"
"Charge!"
"Doo-doo-doo-doo!" The charge bugle blared. Soldiers, previously concealed within the skirmish pits and trenches, now surged out en masse, each flintlock rifle in their hands affixed with a bayonet. And, of course, a single bullet remained loaded in every gun.
Even as they advanced, some continued to fire. The Manchu reconnaissance cavalry were instantly stunned into utter bewilderment.
The front ranks were cut down, while the rear half scrambled back to their horses in disarray, vaulted into their saddles, and galloped away. Periodically, a rider would be shot in the back and tumble from their mount. Others, hit but not fatally, clung desperately to their horses' necks, disappearing into the distance.
The reconnaissance cavalry had arrived swiftly, and just as swiftly, they fled. Like mist, like rain, like wind, they came and went, leaving behind only the haunting echo of their retreat.
When the sixty border soldiers within New Horse Fort finally awoke from their stupor, they saw that strange musketeer unit returning, joyfully leading over two hundred horses.
"Hahahaha, we've captured over two hundred warhorses!"
"This is a truly significant accomplishment!"
"The Heavenly Lord will surely grant bonuses to our entire unit!"
"An extra meal tonight, an extra meal, hahahaha!"
The centurion and his sixty soldiers pondered these events for a long while. Then, after what felt like an age, the centurion hurried over to Wang Er, dropping into a profound bow.
Wang Er queried, "What's this about?"
The centurion declared, "Brother, I no longer wish to serve in the border army. I yearn to join your ranks."
Wang Er narrowed his eyes. "Are you not concerned I might be just another imperial army detachment? If you utter such words in my presence, I'll report you to the Ministry of War and have your head taken."
The centurion shook his head. "My eyes are not blind. You are most certainly not imperial soldiers. And you, sir, with your spirit of daring valor, clearly forged outside the confines of any official army. You must be... a venerable leader from the greenwood, an elder brother, wouldn't you say?"
Wang Er then said, "I will tell you my name. If, after hearing it, you still dare to follow me, then I shall take you in."
The centurion's heart gave a sudden lurch, but he merely clasped his fists again. "I eagerly await your esteemed name."
Wang Er flashed a wide grin. "Wang Er from Baishui."
The man who incited rebellion in the seventh year of Tianqi, the number one rebel under Heaven: Wang Er from Baishui! Upon hearing the name, the centurion sucked in a sharp breath, his entire body nearly recoiling in shock.
But his hesitation was fleeting. He immediately declared, "Brother Wang Er, take me and my brothers with you! We have made up our minds to follow you. Through mountains of daggers and seas of fire, we will not so much as flinch. I can clearly see that serving under you is a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand times superior to serving the imperial court."
Wang Er let out a long sigh. "Very well! Once this matter is concluded, I will take you in."
Meanwhile, back at Gao Family Village...
A heavily damaged automobile slowly rumbled into the village. Its front end was severely crumpled, and the windshield was completely shattered.
Experimental Car No. 2 had returned. The driver was a picture of utter distress; he had reduced such a precious experimental vehicle, a marvel of Gao Family Village's high-tech ingenuity, to this sorry state. He genuinely dreaded facing home.
The vehicle slowly maneuvered to the entrance of Thirty-Two Middle School and came to a halt.
From the teaching building, Young Master Bai glanced out the window. "Haha, my car is back! I'll go ask the driver how he fared on this extended test run."
He bounded excitedly to the school gate. Just as he settled into place, a loud clatter echoed, and a sizable part fell off the car...
Young Master Bai stared in horror. "Wh-wh-what... what on earth happened? Oh! No! My car!"
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