Chapter 478: The Most Primitive Bayonet

As the saying goes, one is not a true hero until they have reached the Great Wall. Yet for the Ming Dynasty of today, ordinary people likely will never set foot on it in their lifetime. After all, each section of the Great Wall was a vital border defense site, not a tourist attraction. To contain the swift Mongol cavalry, Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang began building the Great Wall, resulting in three sections: the Outer Great Wall, the Inner Great Wall, and the Second Great Wall. The Outer Great Wall was entirely constructed of bricks and stones, neatly arranged, and met the Inner Great Wall to the east of the Bohai Sea. The Second Great Wall consisted of earthen walls made of rammed earth at both ends, shaped like troughs with higher ends and a moat in between. Although these three sections of the Great Wall still had gaps, they remained of great significance.

Kaiping and Xinghe were located outside the Second Great Wall, serving as each other’s strategic supports. Kaiping was formerly the Yuan capital of Shangdu. In the second year of Hongwu’s reign, Li Wenzhong and Chang Yuchun captured Kaiping, forcing Emperor Shun of Yuan to flee north in panic. The Ming Dynasty then established the Kaiping Garrison there, making it the main stronghold for advancing against the Mongols. In contrast, Xinghe Fortress lacked the advantages of a fortified city and was merely a thousand-household unit with insufficient troops. Faced with a large army, its only option was to hold out and wait for reinforcements. Thus, while Xinghe was manageable in peacetime, it became the most dangerous place during battles.

Late October was not yet bitterly cold in the south, but in the north, it was very likely to have seen two or three heavy snowfalls. The weather that year was peculiar—the sky remained gloomy, and the biting cold pierced to the bones, unlike previous years when snow had already fallen by this time. At the entrance of Xinghe Fortress, two soldiers wrapped in thick cotton coats, wearing leg warmers and oilcloth boots, were jumping up and down vigorously. Despite wearing somewhat worn fur gloves, they still trembled from the cold.

“Damn it, I hate these freezing days the most. Yet this damned place is like this for most of the year!”

“Don’t even mention it. Not only us, but even Captain Zheng was sent here because he couldn’t hold his ground in Xuanfu. Put it nicely, we’re here to earn more merits; put it harshly, it’s a death sentence! Last time, we stayed inside and focused on defense, and many of our men were killed or injured. Now there are only over six hundred of us left—how can we defend ourselves?”

“The weather is too cold. If we don’t wrap our hands with thick cloth strips, we might not even be able to grip our weapons… But those Tartars are used to operating in snowy weather. If they really attack, we don’t even have enough military supplies. Should we really just sit inside and wait for death? I hope Wanquan won’t break his promise and deliver food these days.”

“At the very least, we should take a damn gamble. What’s the point of waiting to die? I haven’t even married yet! As for those who are already married, their families have been sent to Zhangjiakou Fort. Though it’s a safe place, what if this place falls? Who knows if they’ll be affected too? We should hold on as long as we can. If we keep thinking only of death, then there’s really no hope left!”
Both of them were only twenty years old and had just inherited their fathers’ positions as military households a year ago. Their ancestors and fathers had all died at the hands of the Tartars, so they weren’t particularly afraid of death. Yet, thinking that they hadn’t married nor seen the colorful world others talked about, they felt some regret. After chatting for a while, they simply drew their weapons to warm up, and soon began fighting at the gate. The people inside the fort were used to such scenes and paid them little attention.
The shorter soldier slashed his companion several feet away, ready to press the advantage, when suddenly a loud shout came from above. He quickly put away his sword and looked up, indeed spotting a dark figure speeding toward them. Horses were one of the scarcest resources in Xinghe Fort, and only scouts could have mounts. At that moment, a patrol soldier on the watchtower called out that it was one of their own. This newcomer had always envied those agile scouts and now imagined himself riding proudly on a horse.
“Hurry, get ready! Someone’s coming from that direction—it’s an imperial envoy!”
The scout shouted without even having time to dismount. While the shorter soldier was shocked, laughter came from the high walls among the patrol military households. Some even joked loudly, “Wei Laoer, stop talking nonsense! It’s true that high-ranking officials are often sent to guard the borders, but since the last northern expedition, aside from that general from Xuanfu a few years ago, who else has come to Xinghe these past years? The one who came before said it was to deliver food supplies. As for an imperial envoy…”
“Damn it! If I were joking, I’d be a bastard. If I hadn’t remembered the code perfectly, I might have been detained and never returned! Only the soldiers from the capital can march in such perfect formation. There are thirty or forty donkey carts, probably carrying food supplies. There are also flags from the Xuanfu Left Guard. In total, there are about a thousand people. Unless it’s an envoy like the former Xing’an Bo, how could an ordinary officer have such an impressive force? Hurry up and get ready! If we mess this up, none of us will be able to afford it!”

At these words, the group of military households was instantly stunned. When they saw the scout ignoring them and whipping his horse into a rapid gallop through the gate, heading straight for the thousand-household headquarters, they began to doubt but prepared themselves anyway. About fifteen minutes later, the sentries on the watchtower finally spotted the large group in the distance and hurriedly rang the bells to sound the alarm.

Lu Feng stayed in Xuanfu, Yu Qian was heading to Kaiping with the troops, while Zhang Yue set out from Xuanfu, passing through Zhangjiakou Fort and Wanquan Right Guard to reach Xinghe. After crossing the Juyongguan Great Wall, he crossed another layer of the outer Great Wall and the Second Border Wall, truly witnessing the Great Ming’s border defenses—though he was also almost frozen to death. Despite wearing a thick cotton robe over a sable fur coat, cotton socks and thick felt socks, and even special shoes, nothing could protect him from the relentless cold winds. His warm hat had to be tightly tied above his neck to prevent it from being blown away. And because they were carrying a lot of supplies, they still couldn’t move quickly.

Since they passed through Zhangjiakou Fort on the way, he was greatly surprised when Wang Huan told him that was Xinghe Fort. From afar, it indeed looked like a small mound. It wasn’t until they got closer and saw many soldiers with swords at the gate that he believed it was indeed Xinghe, one of the key fortresses of the Great Ming beyond the Great Wall.

Zhang Yue observed the others, and Zheng Pingyuan, the thousand-household commander who rushed out in haste, was also sizing up this unexpected group. At first, he didn’t believe that soldiers from the capital garrison were coming, but now that he saw them with his own eyes, he had no choice but to accept it. He had followed the emperor on two northern expeditions—first promoted from a low-ranking soldier to a hundred-household commander, and then to a thousand-household commander. He naturally knew the difference between these border soldiers and those from the capital garrison. He didn’t dare hope that these guards protecting the emperor were there to reinforce them, but thinking of the urgent reports from Kaiping earlier, he heaved a long sigh of relief. At least his group of over six hundred men could get some respite.

Yet even though Zheng Pingyuan was mentally prepared, he was still shocked when he recognized Wang Huan. The rank of the Shanxi Military Commander couldn’t oversee the commanders of Datong and Xuanfu, but Wang Huan was someone he had met twice before. He knew well that this older commander had once been a fierce warrior among the armies. However, he had only returned to Xuanfu these past years, so he was quite isolated from news. Since Zhang Yue introduced himself as a clerk in the Ministry of War’s Armory Department, Zheng Pingyuan really had no idea who this man was.

Compared to the prosperous city of Xuanfu, Xinghe Fort was filled solely with military households; the houses there were all low mud structures, with only Zheng Pingyuan’s official residence built from a mixture of stone and mud, looking dull and unremarkable. Nevertheless, the arrival of a thousand soldiers and over a hundred laborers in such a large fort did not cause overcrowding. Some soldiers had to stay in this frigid place for more than a decade without ever leaving, and they were naturally curious about outsiders. Many of them approached the laborers to ask about the situation in the Central Plains.

“There are three thousand dan of grain in the fifteen grain carts, and the rest are military weapons. Xinghe is a strategic location, so all the old firearms have been replaced with the latest Yongle long-barreled cannons—two hundred in total. In addition, there are three hundred jin of gunpowder, six hundred newly produced side knives, five thousand bows and arrows, and two hundred strong bows. These cannons are different from the old ones. Old Peng, take them out and show them to Captain Zheng.”

Since most of the carts were not taken to the grain store but parked in front of his own official residence, Zheng Pingyuan had been puzzled. Hearing this, his confusion turned into ecstasy. The cannons used in Xinghe’s military unit were all old models from the Hongwu era, while those from the early Yongle period had been repaired countless times after two major northern expeditions. Those gunners had even ended up serving as swordsmen, shield bearers, or archers. Now, not only were there new cannons, but there was also an ample supply of gunpowder, along with complete sets of side knives, bows, and arrows—this was undoubtedly a blessing after a long drought.

Since the imperial court moved the Danning Garrison there, followed by two more northern expeditions, Xinghe’s position had become awkward. Zheng Pingyuan could no longer remember how long it had been since they received military supplies other than grain. Even he had thought about how good it would be if Xinghe were moved inside the Great Wall. At that moment, he couldn’t help but stand up and pace back and forth until a cannon was handed to him. Only then did he realize others were present and quickly regained his composure.

“Captain Zheng, look—each cannon comes with a measuring spoon. The gunpowder is loaded using this spoon, so there won’t be any uneven distribution. If the Tartars attack suddenly after a single loading and there’s no time to reload, then use this cannon tip.”

Peng Shisan quickly inserted an iron spearhead into a special slot at the top of the pistol, then waved the pistol a couple of times before turning to explain, “Although the original pistols were also made very sturdy and could be swung to fend off enemies after firing, they were simply too short and not suitable for use against cavalry. By adding a longer handle and this spearhead, their effectiveness has improved greatly. After all, their range is only about one or two hundred paces. Under the charge of those Tartar cavalry, a gunner can usually fire only once; even with three rounds, it won’t last long. This spearhead is very useful.”

At this point, he gave Zhang Yue a meaningful look and smiled, saying, “These are prototypes. They were suggestions put forward by Lord Zhang last year when he ordered all the troops in the capital to be equipped with these weapons, based on advice from the craftsmen at the Military Equipment Bureau. Whether they work well will depend on your experience using them.”

Zhang Yue hadn’t expected Peng Shisan to add another sentence out of nowhere. Seeing Wang Huan and Zheng Pingyuan looking astonished, he could only smile and say, “Actually, this idea came to me last time I was in the south when Japanese pirates attacked, and I saw a few guards using two pistols each. After all, there can’t be enough spare guns in the army. If a gunner has no way to fight after firing once, it would be troublesome in an emergency. Now, after firing a round, they can use this spearhead for close combat—hand-to-hand fighting. There’s no need to prepare a second weapon in actual battles.”

At that moment, he couldn’t help but admire the skill of those craftsmen. He had merely mentioned it casually, yet someone immediately drew up blueprints, and some craftsmen even said they had already had this idea. Although gunners were not meant for close combat, if it weren’t for precaution, why could Ming Dynasty firearms be used as hammers?