Chapter Forty-Two: Defeating Sheyin

At that moment, the sound of a bamboo flute rang out. The four guards at the front huddled together, leaving a gap wide enough for one person. A soldier armed with a white pole stepped forward through the gap, hooked the foremost enemy with the tip of his pole, and dragged him back. The second white pole soldier struck the dragged enemy heavily with the iron ring at the end of his pole, knocking him unconscious. The third white pole soldier hooked the stunned enemy and pulled him to the rear, where the guards’ cooks and logistics troops swiftly beheaded him.

Throughout this process, the front line of the guards continued to fire in an orderly fashion, their cooperation flawless. Whenever a wounded soldier fell, another immediately filled his place, and the logistics troops dragged the injured to the rear for treatment by the medical officers.

The first collaboration between the guards and the white pole soldiers was indeed seamless. The guards eliminated most of the enemy foot soldiers, while those who approached were dragged and killed by the white pole soldiers. Seeing the situation turn dire, Panlong attempted to retreat into the city, but the melody of the bamboo flute changed. Qin Yiming waved his hand, signaling the cavalry of the guards to charge. Ignoring the scattered enemy troops, Qin Yiming led his cavalry straight toward the city gate, quickly surpassing Panlong’s banner.

Panlong had deployed nearly his entire force; there were few defenders within the city. Qin Yiming moved so swiftly that while the defenders were urging Panlong to flee faster, he already reached the gate. The drawbridge could not be raised in time, and enemy soldiers within the gate tried to close it, but Qin Yiming and his cavalry scattered them. The defenders let out a cry and fled in all directions.

Qin Yiming ordered the cavalry regiment to enter the city rapidly while he and his men secured the gate. Realizing all was lost, Panlong threw down his long sword, knelt, and cried out, “We are willing to surrender!” The enemy soldiers followed suit, discarding their weapons and kneeling.

Lu Qin continued to advance slowly with the guards’ infantry, but the white pole soldiers moved much faster, swiftly passing through the infantry formation and tying up the enemy soldiers with ropes. Qin Liangyu ordered that no prisoners were to be killed; the enemy foot soldiers were to be detained for now.

By then, Qin Yiming had already cleared the city of enemy soldiers and brought in the local gentry of Xindu. After breaking through, Panlong had executed all the officials within Xindu, so Qin Liangyu could only entrust the city to the gentry, temporarily imprison the enemy foot soldiers inside Xindu, and hold the enemy commanders, including Panlong, in the army’s custody.

After a day of recovery in Xindu, the army marched toward CD. The battle for Xindu claimed over a thousand enemy lives and captured more than three thousand, while the guards lost only eleven men and the white pole soldiers two. Such a lopsided exchange filled Lu Qin with confidence for the battles ahead.

Within a day, they reached the outskirts of CD. Outside the city, over forty thousand troops of the She Army waited, while inside, rumor had it there were only two thousand defenders. She Chongming had besieged the city on October 18th, and now less than ten days had passed. The troops from Shizhu arrived at CD more than a month earlier than recorded in history.

The She Army’s strength was formidable. After consulting with Qin Liangyu, Lu Qin decided to first encamp at Pingyang, some distance from CD, and wait for the soldiers to recuperate before launching an attack. However, She Chongming had other plans. Upon hearing the news, he decided to strike first, taking advantage of Qin Liangyu’s unsettled position.

They had barely reached Pingyang and had not finished setting up camp when the scouts reported that She Chongming’s son, She Yin, was advancing with ten thousand men, their momentum fierce. The soldiers were exhausted and hungry, and the camp’s defenses were not yet established. Lu Qin urgently ordered the guards to quickly consume military rations and distributed some to the white pole soldiers. These rations, devised by Zhu Youjiao by mixing dried vegetables and pork fat into fried flour, were reserved for emergencies. Durable, easy to eat, and able to quickly restore strength, they were forbidden for ordinary use and only allowed in urgent situations.

After quickly filling their stomachs, the troops began to form up. One regiment of infantry lined up six deep at the front, followed closely by the white pole soldiers, another regiment behind them, and the cavalry, not daring to split off to the wings this time, deployed at the rear.

The She Army arrived swiftly. Qin Liangyu had just finished arranging the formation when She Yin’s men charged forward. Normally, She Yin wouldn’t have been so bold, but he only feared the white pole soldiers and cared little for the rest of the Ming court troops. Seeing that the white pole soldiers were not at the front, he felt reassured and charged ahead.

The guards’ infantry favored densely packed enemy charges, for such targets rendered marksmanship nearly irrelevant; as long as they didn’t shoot into the sky or ground, they would hit someone.

A volley rang out, thinning the dense crowd. She Yin glanced at his bleeding subordinates falling to the ground, hesitated, and halted his charge, then shouted, “Forward! Kill these capital troops!” Yet he himself held back.

Lu Qin issued firing orders according to the enemy’s density, but She Yin’s men were elite troops—swift, fearless, and soon many enemy soldiers reached the guards’ line.

Lu Qin shouted, “Bayonet defense! Do not reload!” The bamboo flute sounded, and the white pole soldiers charged through the gaps left by the infantry. Their hooks were no longer used to drag, but to slash open enemy throats, quickly joining in the melee with the She Army.

The drums beat, and the first regiment of infantry began to scatter and reload. The second regiment rapidly wheeled forward, soon overtaking the front line. The drums sounded three times, and the rear regiment formed up and slowly pressed forward.

The white pole soldiers fought fiercely, surging deep into She Army ranks. Mingled together, only the white poles distinguished them from the enemy. The She troops on the flanks attacked the guards’ infantry.

The infantry held their matchlocks level. The She soldiers, seeing the small bayonets, paid them no heed and charged forward, weapons swinging. Lu Qin cried, “Free attack!” Though it differed from “free fire” by just one word, the meaning was entirely distinct. Against short weapons, the infantry used bayonets to finish their foes; against long weapons, they pulled the trigger. At such close range, each bullet almost certainly felled an enemy. This balanced tactic swept through the vanguard She Army warriors.

After firing, the infantry no longer reloaded but stood their ground, awaiting the enemy’s advance. Meanwhile, the second regiment charged forward, using bullets and bayonets against the She Army. The rear regiment began to reload and push forward. This cycle quickly cleared the enemy ahead, joining up with the white pole soldiers.

The white pole formation was too tight for the guards to penetrate, so Lu Qin ordered attacks from both flanks to ease their burden. Soon, under the joint assault of white pole soldiers and guards, the She Army began to flee, quickly descending into rout.

At this moment, Qin Yiming led the cavalry regiment in pursuit. The She troops scattered, fleeing in all directions. Qin Yiming kept his eyes on She Yin’s banner, hoping to capture him and earn merit, but She Yin proved cunning, having his men carry the banner while he slipped away in another direction. In the end, Qin Yiming seized only a flag, while She Yin escaped.