Chapter 93: The Second Battle of Shishan

“He’s an Adjutant-General,” Zhu Mingxia said with a touch of regret. “I thought he’d be at least a Lieutenant-General…”

Xiong Maozhang squatted by the body, examining it for a long time before saying, “There’s only one Lieutenant-General in all of Guangdong. The people at the Grand Library say that right now, Generals, Lieutenant-Generals, and Adjutant-Generals are all very valuable. It’s not like later when the streets were full of them.”

“Adjutant-General of Huizhou, Adjutant-General of Huizhou…” Zhu Mingxia thought for a moment and then remembered. Wasn’t this one of the five Adjutant-Generals and one Adjutant mentioned in the “Enemy Situation Report” who had come to suppress them? The report had clearly stated that these six commanders were established imperial military officials with their own commands, not to be compared with ordinary adjutants.

In that case, this battle was equivalent to killing an enemy major general or division commander.

To have achieved such a great victory in his first command, Zhu Mingxia was secretly pleased and couldn’t help but say “Good,” “Good” repeatedly.

A few soldiers beside him, seeing their battalion commander so happy, knew they must have killed a high-ranking enemy general. According to the custom of the time, they were supposed to take the head as a trophy. One soldier picked up a large saber and was about to cut off the head.

“Don’t cut,” Zhu Mingxia stopped him. “He died for his country. Prepare his body properly and bury him with military honors!”

At 4 p.m., the three thousand men led by Sha Jianbi appeared less than three kilometers from Shishan. Because Yan Zungao had rushed his men, causing many infantrymen to fall behind and ultimately leading to his defeat with insufficient forces, Sha Jianbi did not hurry his troops. Along the way, he gathered many of Yan’s routed soldiers and learned the details of the entire battle from them.

However, he could get no information beyond what he could see on the post road in front, behind, and to his sides. No matter how many scouts and spies he sent out, none returned. One wounded scout had galloped back, but he was suddenly shot dead by a musket before he could reach him.

What alarmed him most was that he had no idea where the shot had come from—no smoke, no person. He sent a company of infantry to search a four-hundred-pace radius around where the scout had fallen, but they found nothing. Only two small black holes in the scout’s body indicated that he had been killed by a musket.

The fear of muskets that fired without smoke, without a visible shooter, and even without a sound had been growing for days. The government soldiers secretly called them “shadow cannons.”

Sha Jianbi’s unit had also been hit by these “shadow cannons” along the march, losing forty to fifty officers and soldiers. This had caused widespread panic. If it weren’t for the knowledge that Li Guang’s two thousand men were coming up behind them as reinforcements, these three thousand men would likely have scattered before they even reached Shishan.

After marching blindly in such a state of alarm for most of the day, the vanguard reported: Shishan was only four or five li away.

“Where is the enemy deployed?”

“Right at the foot of Shishan,” the vanguard captain reported.

He stood up in his stirrups. There was a camp on Shishan, flying the rebels’ red flag. This had been part of the government army’s grain depot. The once-lush Shishan was now bare; both the Ming army and the Fubo Army had cleared the fields of fire. A gray line of battle was drawn up at the foot of the mountain, blocking the post road.

This battle line was very thin. Sha Jianbi saw that the rebels at the foot of the mountain numbered no more than a thousand, yet they had formed a line two hundred paces long. This was madness! With such a shallow depth, wouldn’t they be broken with a single charge? Were the rebels that confident in their firearms? He knew that in Chengmai, they had been defending from behind an earthen rampart!

But the previous day’s crushing defeat had left the government troops terrified of every shadow. Sha Jianbi didn’t even dare to get too close, fearing the “shadow cannons.” He ordered his men to form up on the spot and prepare for battle.

Sha Jianbi gathered his lieutenants and captains.

“You’ve all seen it. The rebels have no more than a thousand men, and their line is thin. They’ve only hastily formed up behind a trench and a low wall. If we concentrate our forces and attack fiercely, we can break them!” Sha Jianbi said, feigning confidence. “I’ve seen it. Their long, thin line is only two ranks deep. No matter how powerful their firearms are, they can only fire a few volleys!”

“General Sha!” a captain said, “According to the survivors of General Yan’s unit, the rebels have one part of their force in formation and another in ambush. When our troops attack, the ambush force will emerge and strike our flank…”

“No matter,” Sha Jianbi said. “I intend to use a wheel-like attack. We will divide our three thousand men into three divisions.”

The three divisions would attack in rotation. The central division would be held in reserve to deal with any emergencies. One division would advance to fight, while another would provide covering fire with bows from behind. When the front division tired, the rear division would take its place.

Sha Jianbi believed that this would, first, give the rebels no rest. The enemy was small in number and had no replacements. Even if their firearms were excellent, continuous firing would exhaust their soldiers. When the enemy’s fire slackened, he would send two divisions forward at once and crush their line in a single blow.

“…If the enemy’s ambush force appears, our central division of one thousand men will engage them. According to the routed soldiers, the rebels’ ambush force is no more than a thousand men. Furthermore, the rebels always fight from behind prepared fortifications, relying on their firearms to suppress us. Close combat with blades is not their strength. Our soldiers will fight with long spears and sabers. The enemy only has short blades on their muskets. They cannot last long in a melee!” Then he said sternly, “General Mao!”

“Here, sir!” a lieutenant-general immediately responded.

“You will lead a thousand men as the vanguard,” Sha Jianbi instructed. “The rebels’ firearms fire extremely fast. Your formations don’t need to be neat, just charge quickly. Have the men carry more bows and arrows. When you reach the trench, loose a volley before charging their line. The rebels have no armor. Anyone hit by an arrow will be either killed or wounded.”

This General Mao was not from Sha Jianbi’s own unit. He had previously served under the Training Division’s adjutant and was temporarily assigned to Sha. He knew that Sha Jianbi was sending him to lead the charge, saving the real glory for his own central division. But he dared not disobey and could only lead his men to form up.

“General Zhao!”

“Here, sir!”

“You will lead a thousand men a li behind General Mao as support. You must also carry many bows and arrows. If General Mao’s men are unable to hold and retreat, you will continue the attack!” He patted General Zhao on the shoulder. “After General Mao has softened them up, you will surely succeed when you lead your men in!”

General Zhao forced a smile and said, “Thank you for your guidance, General Sha!” But he cursed Sha Jianbi inwardly for sending them to be cannon fodder while he and his men waited to reap the rewards.

Sha Jianbi was not entirely planning to send Generals Zhao and Mao to their deaths. But he had few of his own men, and they were a complete unit that had not suffered a defeat, so their morale was good. They had to be saved for the critical moment. He still had no idea where the rebels’ ambush force was, and he couldn’t afford to be without a reliable and capable unit.

So the government army quickly set up camp on the road and divided its forces into three divisions for battle. Along the way, Sha Jianbi’s unit had also gathered over two hundred remnants of Yan Zungao’s forces. He appointed a captain to temporarily command them and kept them with the central division.

The position Xiong Maozhang had set up at the foot of Shishan consisted of a breastwork half a man’s height. In front of the breastwork was a deep trench, and in front of the trench were many hastily gathered and piled-up cheval de frise, including many of the wheelbarrows captured from the grain depot. The 1st Infantry Battalion was deployed in formation behind the low wall, directly blocking any army attempting to pass through the post road at the foot of Shishan.

The 1st Infantry Battalion was deployed in a standard two-rank line. The Minié rifle had a much faster rate of fire than the flintlock, so a three-rank line was unnecessary. Xiong Maozhang deployed all six of his line infantry companies in a 150-meter-long line. The battalion’s grenadier company was held in reserve behind the main line, ready to cover the flanks if necessary. The 1st Light Infantry Company and the light infantry company of the 4th Infantry Battalion were detached to form a garrison, defending the camp on Shishan along with the logistics troops and covering one flank of the 1st Infantry Battalion.

Of the four 12-pounder mountain howitzers they had brought, two were directly attached to the 1st Infantry Battalion, and the other two were placed in the camp on top of Shishan, ready to provide fire support as needed.

Xiong Maozhang observed the government troops a few li away through his telescope. According to the special reconnaissance team’s report, this enemy force numbered three thousand, with another two thousand following about ten li behind. But as Chen Sigen had clearly stated, “The two thousand in the rear are clearly just here for show.” They were moving slowly and showed little will to fight.

“We need to crush these three thousand as quickly as possible,” Xiong Maozhang said to Zhu Mingxia. “Otherwise, if we wait for the other two thousand to arrive, the enemy will be too numerous to deal with.”

Zhu Mingxia didn’t speak. He watched the government troops forming up in his telescope. “It looks like the enemy’s main attack is still directed at your position. But we have to be on guard against them attacking the camp on the mountain.”

Xiong Maozhang put on his helmet. “I have to get to my position. I can’t rest easy otherwise.”

As they were speaking, a cannon fired from the government army’s gate, and a thousand men, led by a lieutenant-general, charged forward. After they had advanced more than a li, another signal cannon fired, and another company of government troops charged towards the 1st Battalion’s position.

“The enemy is using a wheel-like attack,” Zhu Mingxia said. He continued to watch the government army’s movements. The first wave was charging very fiercely and quickly reached within a hundred meters of their position. The soldiers fired arrows as they ran, but the distance was too great for them to be a threat. Xiong Maozhang’s six line infantry companies opened fire simultaneously at a range of 150 meters. The bullets swept through the charging ranks, and the government soldiers and their horses fell. They were thrown into disarray before they even reached the trench. Then the second rank of infantry fired a volley. Through the thick smoke, Zhu Mingxia saw that some of the enemy were already retreating.

Zhu Mingxia had a vague feeling that something was wrong. The enemy shouldn’t be repeating such a simple frontal assault. To be cautious, he did not order the two mountain howitzers in the Shishan camp to open fire, saving them for fire support at a critical moment.

Among Sha Jianbi’s vanguard were many government soldiers whose courage had been broken the day before. Now, faced with charging directly into the rebels’ firearms, they were very hesitant. After taking a few volleys, they refused to advance further. The officers and generals shouted and urged them on, threatening them with execution and promising them silver, and only with great difficulty did they get the men to continue their attack.

At this time, the second wave of government troops surged forward.

“Loose arrows! Loose arrows!”

The government soldiers hastily fired a volley of arrows, but most of them were fired out of range and fell harmlessly into the trench and among the cheval de frise, with almost none reaching the line.

“Hold steady! Sights at 120 meters!” the officers continuously corrected the firing range. “Fire!”

The rifles roared, and gunpowder smoke filled the air. The government soldiers could not even get close to the trench. Every time they managed to get within a hundred meters, they were broken by a volley. Although the soldiers were constantly being urged forward by their officers, they would quickly retreat again. Sometimes, led by a few brave officers, they could charge to the front of the trench, but then the double canister shot from the 12-pounder mountain howitzers would mercilessly wipe them out at the edge of the trench.

Gunpowder smoke filled the air. The sounds of battle, groans, and shouts enveloped Shishan. The battle had been raging for over an hour. No matter how much Sha Jianbi and his lieutenants encouraged and drove their men to charge, the government army’s attacks became weaker and weaker. Especially after the mountain howitzers began to bombard the government formations from 800 meters away with high-explosive shells, the government troops were forced to retreat more than two li each time to regroup. The soldiers exhausted a great deal of energy on this back-and-forth journey. Many of the government soldiers had been marching since noon, and after half a day without food or water, they were exhausted after a few charges. Some soldiers simply collapsed by the roadside and refused to move.

Seeing that his so-called wheel-like attack was having no effect—after attacking for the better part of an hour and rotating his troops several times, he had achieved nothing but leaving a field of bodies in front of the rebels’ trench. The enemy’s volley fire was still steady and fierce, showing no signs of slackening. Sha Jianbi was extremely anxious. If this continued, his entire army would collapse before the enemy’s ambush force even appeared.

He then ordered his entire army to attack the camp on Shishan. The camp was only defended by two light infantry companies and some logistics troops, but it was supported by two howitzers. High-explosive shells, canister shot, and solid shot rained down on the government soldiers attempting to climb the mountain and take the camp.

Although one young government officer was extremely brave, and under his leadership, a dozen or so fierce soldiers followed him and once got within a dozen meters of the camp wall. Just as he raised his flag and was about to charge the wall, a canister shot from a 12-pounder mountain howitzer hit him.

The government soldiers attacking the mountain camp were also constantly harassed by musket fire from the rebel infantry in formation below. The government army desperately charged up the mountain several times, but as more and more bodies piled up on the slope, the momentum of their attack weakened. The troops attacking the mountain camp retreated once more—but this time, they didn’t even make it halfway up the mountain. After a few half-hearted shouts, they were driven back by a volley of musket fire from the camp.

Sha Jianbi’s own unit had not yet been committed. Seeing that his men had lost their fighting spirit and could not even defeat the small rebel force in front of them, let alone break through and retake Shishan, and had suffered heavy casualties for nothing, he knew he would be blamed by his superiors. His eyes widened, and he shouted, “Tell General Zhao and General Mao to attack with all their might! They must break through the post road, or they will answer with their heads!”

“Reporting to the general, General Mao has already been killed in action,” a junior officer reported, panting.

Hearing that one of his lieutenants was dead, Sha Jianbi became even more alarmed. He took a deep breath. He saw that although the junior officer’s helmet was askew and his armor was disheveled, he was a tall and sturdy man, with a round face, a pointed chin, a few sparse whiskers, and small, upturned eyes. He looked quite capable.

“What is your name?”

“I am Cao Xiangjiao! I was a lieutenant under General Mao…”

“Good, General Cao! I now appoint you as the vanguard commander, in command of General Mao’s unit,” he said, pointing his riding crop at the 1st Infantry Battalion’s line at the foot of Shishan. “You will immediately lead your troops through the paddy fields and attack their flank! As long as you break the enemy’s line, I will recommend you for promotion to the provincial commander!”

“Thank you for your guidance, General! I will surely fight bravely!” Cao Xiangjiao, a young calf who did not fear the tiger, was spurred on by these words and the promise of promotion. His spirits soared. He immediately mounted his horse, took up his saber, and went to lead the charge.

After giving this series of orders, he knew that he couldn’t rely on this hot-headed Cao Xiangjiao to break the enemy’s line. He had to lead the charge himself.

So he shouted, “Beat the drums! Form up!”

Although the rebels’ ambush force had not yet appeared, he couldn’t be bothered with that anymore. He thought that as long as he broke the battle line, he would have time to turn and face the ambush force when it appeared. Sha Jianbi believed that as long as they were not attacking the rebels’ camp, the rebels were no match for the government soldiers in a melee.

To the deafening sound of the war drums, Sha Jianbi mounted his horse. His personal guards quickly brought him his great saber. He held the saber, and his central division and personal guards and household retainers, in their bright armor, were already formed up and waiting to advance.

Sha Jianbi stood in his stirrups and looked out. He saw that Cao Xiangjiao’s men had already circled around into the paddy fields and were moving towards one flank of the rebel line. However, the paddy fields were muddy, and their progress was slow. Men were constantly being hit by rifle and cannon fire and falling, but Cao Xiangjiao waved his saber, urging his men to move faster. General Zhao’s unit was still attacking half-heartedly.

He waited nervously for Cao Xiangjiao’s flanking maneuver to succeed. After about the time it takes to eat a meal, he saw Cao Xiangjiao’s banner appear on the flank of the rebel line. The sound of guns and cannons rumbled, and smoke filled the air. He knew that Cao Xiangjiao’s attack had begun. He swung his saber and shouted, “Charge! Break the rebel line, and every man will be rewarded with five taels of silver!” His men let out a roar and followed him in a fierce frontal assault.

Cao Xiangjiao’s flanking maneuver did indeed pose a threat to the 1st Infantry Battalion. Xiong Maozhang immediately ordered the grenadier company, which was being held in reserve, to move to the flank and form up. Two volleys repulsed the government soldiers’ first charge. Then Zhu Mingxia ordered the two mountain howitzers on the mountain to open fire.

“Use shrapnel!” Solid shot couldn’t bounce in the paddy fields and had limited killing power. Canister shot didn’t have the range. Air-bursting shrapnel became the best long-range anti-personnel weapon. One after another, the shrapnel shells quickly drove Cao Xiangjiao’s men back. The muddy paddy fields made it difficult for the soldiers to move quickly, and they fell one after another under the grenadiers’ accurate fire.

Sha Jianbi’s central division bypassed General Zhao’s disorganized unit and charged straight for the center of the battle line in one go. He planned to break through the line while Cao Xiangjiao was distracting the rebels and drawing their fire on the flank.