Chapter 199: The Tiger Pouncing on the Sheep (Part 2)

What appeared before the Black Flag Army was a spectacular yet chaotic scene. Outdated military flags waved in the wind, and the Qing troops in their uniformed outfits advanced in a dense and disorganized manner. Every officer had to repeatedly urge them forward. These soldiers resembled hundreds of peasants who had put down their hoes and were frantically searching for their targets. From afar, one could smell their stench. They had no real formation—mere crowds pressing forward under their officers’ command. As they advanced, they would fire a few shots at the enemy ahead before stopping again, until their commanders urged them onward once more.

“Charge!”
“Brothers! Go for it! There’s a generous reward—thousand taels of silver for whoever captures the Black Bandits’ flag!”
“We’re in the majority—hurry up and claim the glory!”
They glanced timidly at the Black Flag Army ahead, trying to find an easier path, but couldn’t spot any advantage. Visually, these more than two thousand Qing soldiers were no match for a single infantry battalion led by Jeken. Yet still, these two thousand soldiers launched their most courageous charge.

For the Black Flag Army, it seemed as if the battle situation changed entirely in an instant. Bullets fired from all sides became increasingly dense, and everyone could smell the smoke from the black gunpowder. Many camps that had previously been weak suddenly began firing. From time to time, soldiers let out pained groans, but Jeken’s battalion remained unbroken. The battle was entirely under Jeken’s control. “Soldiers, our reinforcements are on their way!”

Though their morale was low, at this moment the Black Flag Army demonstrated the true quality of an army that had once defeated powerful forces. Even amidst the intense gunfire, no one retreated. Dense shells whizzed past the reinforced infantry squads. The Qing army had assembled over a dozen cannons of various sizes to bombard them, pressing them so heavily that they could hardly lift their heads.

Yet the Qing artillery performed even worse than their shooting accuracy. From the start, although the entire battlefield seemed engulfed in gunfire, the Qing army had yet to inflict any casualties on the enemy. They simply loaded shells into their cannons and fired almost without any precision. In a siege battle, they could conduct prolonged aiming and measurements to barely breach clearly visible city gates. But in such a fight, these artillerymen were utterly useless.

The soldiers of the Black Flag Army were no amateurs. They concentrated all their firepower on any enemy who dared approach or threaten their position. Several groups of Qing soldiers circled around this position, charging dozens of meters ahead only to be driven back by relentless gunfire. Their bravest attempt was to engage in a firefight from thirty meters away, but their pitiful accuracy forced them to retreat. On their way back, they were killed by another round of artillery fire.

Several mortar shells landed almost simultaneously, turning an area several dozen meters square into a death zone. Scattered shrapnel knocked down more than a dozen Qing soldiers, yet half of the Qing battalion managed to cross over. For the Qing forces, even more painful was the ambush by the Black Flag Army’s snipers. This army was traditionally rigid and passive, relying heavily on orders from their superiors. But from the start of the battle, the Black Flag Army targeted the enemy’s leaders. Of the hundreds of casualties suffered by the Qing forces so far, the majority were officers and gunners. Although many people were promoted to fill these positions in the heat of battle, many mid- and lower-ranking officers in the infantry units were wiped out. As the battle intensified, the Black Flag Army gradually adapted to fighting outnumbered opponents. The Qing forces were like waves—seemingly fierce but, upon hitting the rocks, they only created splashes before splitting apart, leaving the rocks untouched. The Qing forces committed six or seven battalions to repeated charges, to their own astonishment achieving little beyond forcing the Black Flag Army’s front-line positions to retreat slightly, at a cost of hundreds of casualties. Wang Debang cursed loudly, whipping his personal guards and sending them back into battle: “Hurry up! If we don’t act now, others will steal all the credit!” Yet his two trusted units of guards retreated and hesitated, only finally charging forward after he offered a reward of 5,000 taels. The entire Qing camp also reacted, and at Pan Dingxin’s command, several elite battalions rushed in, putting significant pressure on the Black Flag Army once again. This gave Wang Debang a glimmer of hope, but soon he heard waves of cheers from the enemy’s ranks. It was thunderous cheering—the Black Flag Army’s reinforcements had arrived. Jie Ken exclaimed excitedly, “Brothers, our Second Xiliu Regiment is about to achieve great glory!” As the Second Xiliu Regiment, they were particularly sensitive to the label “second” and always believed they were more qualified to represent the legacy of the Xiliu Battalion. Inspired by his words, the entire unit suddenly became more relaxed. The reinforcements from the Black Flag Army consisted of just one reinforced company, slightly over 200 men. In terms of troop numbers, the Black Flag Army still held a decisive advantage. But for Wang Debang, it was disheartening: “The damned rebels have brought another battalion—what should we do?” Today, the Black Flag Army involved in the battle was only a few infantry battalions, yet the Qing forces had assembled no less than twenty battalions, launching repeated attacks without even a glimmer of hope for victory. Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but recall the days when the rebels first rose, sweeping through Huguang and dominating the land with unstoppable force. Now, however, he felt like a fat sheep on a grill—an unbearable feeling. But the course of the battle was no longer in his control. Seeing it have reached this impasse, Wang Debang could only urge his men on: “Give it your all! If you back down, you’ll be executed! Executed!”

Yet bursts of gunfire came from within Taiyuan City. Although the defending forces dared not launch a full-scale attack, they selected their best troops to form an enhanced company and, with artillery support, went out of the city to launch probing attacks.
Soon after, intense gunfire came from the flanks—this was the main force of the Second Xiliu Infantry Regiment joining the battle. One infantry battalion facing them was shattered after two rounds of musket fire and retreated entirely.
“More Black Flag troops are coming… tens of thousands!”
“So many!”
“The artillery is amazing—there are hundreds of cannons!”
This made the Qing forces, which were taking turns attacking, hesitate for a long time before finally stopping at their starting lines. At that moment, Jieken suddenly jumped out of the trench and waved his battle flag vigorously: “Xiliu Battalion, advance toward the gunfire!”
The entire unit let out a cheer and moved as one; the timid Qing forces were utterly unable to resist.
A tiger pouncing on a flock of sheep!