Chapter 481: Closing the Gates to Trap the Enemy, Dark Clouds Over the City
In the eyes of the people of the Central Plains, any large black flag could be called a “black banner,” but the true black banner, known as Harisu Del, had always been kept in the Sudel Altar. With the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, the Golden Family was forced to withdraw from the Central Plains, but for many Mongol tribes, only descendants of the Golden Family could be considered true khans. Arutai successively supported Güichigi and Benyasiri, while the Oirats, not to be outdone, supported Dariba and Wei Yalatai.
Thus, even though Arutai held great power for a time, even though he accepted the imperial title from Emperor Yongle Zhu Di, and even though he could disregard the current Khan Wei Yalatai, he could still only be titled Grand Tutor, and the black flag could only bear an eagle.
Yet, even though that black flag now had no eagle on it, the three soldiers from the hunting party who managed to escape by sheer luck were still in extreme danger under the pursuit of such a large force. Seeing the earthen fortress in the distance and only the faint glow of shields on the city walls—no people in sight—they felt their hearts sink little by little.
With pursuers behind them, the gates would surely remain closed. Left with high walls in front and enemies behind, their fate would be no better than that of their comrades who had died earlier. Relying on others inside the fortress for rescue was also impossible. After all, fighting Mongol cavalry in open terrain could only be done by using firearms to disrupt their formation before launching a cavalry charge. But at present, the people in Xinghe Fortress still did not know exactly how many enemies there were. Given their commander’s caution, he would surely choose to hold the fortress rather than send reinforcements.
If they were in the fortress, they would do the same. But right now, they had gone through great hardships and sacrificed seven men just to barely escape! Faced with such a slim chance of survival, the three of them’s eyes turned red as they frantically whipped their horses, desperately hoping for a miracle of survival.
On the arrow towers of the fortress walls, a row of archers stood, followed by gunners. These gunners were not from Xinghe Fortress but soldiers from the Divine Machine Corps, part of the 500 troops from the imperial camp. They were not only veterans of two northern expeditions but also well-accustomed to using Yongle-era firearms, so they were not nervous. In contrast, the sword and shield soldiers sent by Zheng Pingyuan clutched their shields tightly, their faces solemn. Zhang Yue, who had been “invited” by Zheng Pingyuan to stay in the arrow tower, paced back and forth, his mind fixed on Wang Huan, who was guarding the city gates.
He had casually mentioned before that the Mongols loved to lure enemies deep before surrounding them with their entire army. To everyone’s surprise, despite being an old general, he still had plenty of courage and decided to turn the tables on them!
“The city gates are open!”
Hearing this shout from beside him, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but lean forward to look through the distance, his heart pounding as he watched the three soldiers rushing through the woods. He had been certain from the start that these three had been deliberately let go; otherwise, with nearly a thousand Mongol cavalrymen shooting arrows at them all at once, they would have been doomed under a rain of arrows and never made it this far. This was no longer just a game of cat and mouse—it seemed those guys wanted to force them to die beneath the earthen walls, crushing the morale of the defenders of Xinghe Fort.
Since it was unclear how many troops were in the rear force for now, it was best to deal with this first wave first!
Seeing the city gates wide open, the three soldiers felt they had a chance to escape death. Without thinking further, they spurred their horses straight toward the gates. As the gates drew nearer, they gradually realized that the sounds of fighting and horse hooves behind them, which had seemed distant before, were getting closer—mixed with countless laughs and curses. In such a life-or-death moment, none of them had the time to wonder why the pursuers had suddenly closed in; instinctively, they whipped their reins again, hoping to break into the city at the last moment. But just then, they suddenly heard the sound of countless bows being drawn.
“Stay calm! Don’t fight!”
Seeing a rain of arrows descend from the sky and the last of the three riders knocked off his horse and falling to the ground after failing to dodge, all the archers and gunners in the tower’s battlements grew enraged. It wasn’t until they heard Zhang Yue’s shout that they snapped out of it. Realizing that the two of their own soldiers and the front rank of the Mongol cavalry were no longer visible, presumably having entered the city, Zhang Yue took a deep breath, unaware that his palms were drenched in sweat.
Dang dang dang—
After three loud bell sounds, a torrent of arrows and flames erupted from the tower and the outer city walls. The only difference was that the fifty gunners on the outer walls were using the new type of crossbow arrows brought specifically for this mission. Soon, the sound of warhorses screaming could be heard below the city, along with the chaos of fighting at the gates. The iron barriers and spikes already in place caused great trouble to the hundred or so cavalrymen who rushed into the city. Although a few managed to shoot down a few enemies quickly, many others tumbled off their horses in disarray, forced to face hundreds of sword and shield warriors closing in from all sides.
The sudden rain of arrows and fire significantly slowed down the charging Tartar cavalry, so only the initial hundred or so men were able to enter the gates. The rest had to steer their horses away from the fallen horses and comrades while watching helplessly as the gates gradually closed. Without even a command from their commander, these well-trained cavalry launched another wave of arrows at the city walls and inside the city. The soldiers on the walls had already shielded themselves with shields, so only a few unlucky ones were hit in the arms and thighs by arrows falling through the gaps—no one was seriously injured. However, the arrows that entered the city caused great trouble to both sides in the fierce battle. Lacking reinforcements and forced to switch from cavalry combat to infantry fighting, the hundred or so Tartar cavalry gradually began to lose. Wang Huan, full of determination, wielded a heavy sword; if not for his bodyguards blocking him and Zheng Pingyuan’s skilled command, he would have rushed into battle himself. After watching for a while, he shouted at his bodyguards, “Hurry up and ring the bell—let them shoot another round!” Although it was the first snowfall since winter began, starting as just a few scattered flakes, the snow soon intensified, falling in thick masses like cotton fluff. Some melted silently on the fighting soldiers, some landed on the cold corpses on the ground, and some floated in the bright red pools of blood. When they heard the sound of muskets firing again from the city walls, the besieged cavalry inside the fortress finally began to falter. After another round of coordinated attacks from the seven or eight hundred men outside the city, the commander, Seltei, gradually calmed his initial fury and ordered a retreat. With news of the Central Plains emperor’s another northern campaign spreading across the steppes and the mixed loyalties of the tribal leaders, although he was Arutai’s son-in-law, he couldn’t help but recall his tribe’s and the Oirats’ two previous defeats. He was originally just a vanguard, intending to see if there was an opportunity when he encountered the Xinghe scouts—there was no need to act recklessly by sending cavalry to attack the city. But who could blame the defender of Xinghe for going mad and opening the city gates wide? More than a hundred of his men were trapped inside—his own strong herdsmen. Losing so many men would not only subject him to ridicule from his tribal chiefs but also threaten his position! He had also been foolish to fall for such a simple trick!
Hearing the warning bells from the watchtower, Zhang Yue watched through the hole as Cele Tai personally led his men in retreat. He thought that Zhou Bailing, who was preparing to launch an attack with his cavalry, likely had no chance to show off now. It was certainly possible to stay inside and avoid battle, adapting to whatever came, but with just a little over a thousand men, that might work. However, if more Tatar forces attacked later, avoiding battle could lead to serious consequences. In this regard, Wang Huan was bold, yet his judgment was also sharp.
It wasn’t until the entire group of Tatar cavalry disappeared from sight that the soldiers on the city walls put away their shields and began cheering excitedly. The archers and gunners, regardless of whether they knew each other before, started teasing one another, boasting about their achievements in the battle. But the soldiers cleaning up the battlefield at the city gates weren’t so happy. Though they had the advantage of position and caught the enemy off guard, they still suffered heavy losses. There were as many of their own dead and injured as there were enemy corpses on the ground, and even Wang Huan, who had led the battle, didn’t have much of a smile.
In past northern campaigns, they always outnumbered their enemies. If these Tatars retreated as quickly as those in Kaiping, it would be fine. But if a large force returned soon, even if they defended themselves, it wouldn’t be easy. After much thought, he muttered to himself, “Though they’re not afraid of fighting in heavy snow, attacking a city in such conditions probably won’t be easy…”
The snow grew heavier, with snowflakes swirling everywhere, covering the ground, rooftops, and people in thick layers. Two soldiers who had barely escaped stood there in a daze, watching enemy and their own corpses being carried away, their faces still filled with indelible fear. They didn’t even notice Zhang Yue and the others approaching. When a corpse resembling a hedgehog was carried past them, the young soldier, barely twenty years old, turned pale and began to mutter to himself.
“Xiao Shitou said he’d come back to eat roasted rabbit. Why did it have to be just a little short…”
Seeing Peng Shisan, who was holding a powerful bow, pale and Niu Gan’s face contorting, Zhang Yue sighed for a moment before forcing himself to stop thinking about such matters of life and death. He walked straight up to Wang Huan and called out softly, “General Wang.”
“Lord Xiao Zhang, if it weren’t for the dangerous roads in this snowstorm, I would have forced you to leave already.” The first words Wang said after regaining his senses were these, before he immediately spoke seriously, “Everyone knows that cavalry cannot siege cities, but the Mongol horsemen are formidable. In the past, they marched far to the west, destroying countless cities—their siege tactics are quite skilled. Although the Tartars are not as powerful as they once were, if a large army does attack, there will surely be plenty of trebuchets and cannons. Xinghe is not as fortified as Kaiping, so you need to be prepared. I’ve already sent back four messengers, and I won’t send more scouts to their deaths. All we can do is hold our ground and wait for reinforcements. If we truly run short of men, an old man like me will have to step in personally!”
Despite the strong wind and snow, the night passed peacefully. Early in the morning, when the sentries on the watchtower were changing shifts, before the four soldiers could finish passing the shift, someone suddenly spotted dark clouds rolling in from the horizon. It seemed there were many times more troops this time than yesterday. A seasoned soldier took a deep breath, rushed to the large bell, and struck it with the rod. Almost instantly, the loud alarm bell rang throughout the entire Xinghe Fortress once again.
A large army is approaching!