MLMD -Chapter 437 The Assault Begins

On the twenty-eighth day of the fourth month in the twelfth year of Chongzhen, after surrounding Shengjing for twenty-one days, the Ming army outside the city finally launched its attack.

Yue Yang did not pursue an egalitarian approach by bombarding all eight gates of Shengjing at once. Instead, he concentrated the artillery of five cannon battalions and focused their fire on two gates—the Great Eastern Advance Gate and Desheng Gate.

More than four hundred cannons pounded the two gates continuously for three days, consuming over three thousand tons of lead shot and gunpowder. The result of this three-day bombardment was that nearly all the ammunition that the Weihai Guard Navy had spent half a month delivering was exhausted. Only then did Yue Yang give the order to launch a general assault on the Great Eastern Advance Gate and Desheng Gate.

“Move faster… all of you, move faster, you idiots! If you can’t patch up the breach before the Ming army starts their next round of bombardment, you’re as good as dead!”

After three days of shelling, Desheng Gate—located within the Bordered Yellow Banner’s defensive sector—no longer showed any trace of its former grandeur and solidity. In front of a heap of ruins, Dodo shouted himself hoarse, spit flying. Beside him, a group of Bordered Yellow Banner soldiers waved their weapons as they beat and kicked a crowd of Han Banner troops. This had already become a daily occurrence over the past few days.

Three days—three full days. The Ming army had not sent forward a single soldier. They had relied solely on their twenty-four-pound and thirty-two-pound cannons, pounding without pause, until what the Manchus had believed to be an impregnable stronghold was reduced to shattered bricks and rubble. At the outset, Dodo’s Bordered Yellow Banner had suffered heavy losses under the bombardment. Later, having learned his lesson, Dodo withdrew his own banner troops entirely and sent the Han Banner units forward instead—among them the Han Banner forces under Zu Dashou.

After Zu Dashou surrendered to the Qing, Dorgon had not treated him poorly. He appointed him Banner Lord of the Plain Yellow Han Banner, granting him command of more than four thousand troops—a force of no small strength. By all accounts, a surrendered general gaining such a post should have been satisfied. Yet Zu Dashou and those who had surrendered alongside him felt no joy. As the Ming army’s power in Liaodong steadily grew, not only the Manchus but even Zu Dashou himself felt increasing pressure.

Since their surrender to the Qing, Zu Dashou, Wu Sangui, and the others had all felt that they could not truly integrate into Manchu society, and that the Manchus themselves never ceased to guard against these defected generals. It was one thing that the Han Banner’s rations and待遇 were inferior to those of the Manchu Eight Banners—anyone would do the same in their place. But when they discovered that even the Mongol Eight Banners enjoyed better待遇 than they did, the sense of imbalance in their hearts only grew stronger. As more than a year passed, homesickness among the surrendered Han Banner officers and soldiers intensified. Under such circumstances, several Han Banner banner lords—Zu Dashou, Shang Kexi, Wu Sangui, Geng Zhongming, Kong Youde, and others—began to draw closer to one another, vaguely forming the shape of an alliance.

And after Shengjing came under siege, these former Ming generals felt an even deeper despair welling up inside them. They all knew very clearly that the Ming court might allow Manchus to survive after surrendering, but as traitors and rebels, if they fell into Ming hands, even a swift death would be a luxury. The hatred one’s own people feel toward traitors is far greater than that toward foreign enemies—this had long been proven by history. With no road left to retreat on, they could only grit their teeth and walk this dark path to the end.

Just as Dodo was driving the Han Banner soldiers to hurry up and repair the wall, a Manchu armored trooper suddenly pointed ahead and cried out in a shrill, despairing voice, “Master, the Ming army has begun their attack!”

Following the direction of the soldier’s finger, Dodo saw ranks upon ranks of Ming troops advancing toward Desheng Gate in neat formation. Amid the fluttering banners, it seemed as though heaven and earth were filled with nothing but the increasingly thunderous sound of synchronized footsteps.

Dodo’s face turned deathly pale. He yanked out the long saber at his waist and roared, “Everyone, work faster! Zu Dashou, immediately move all your men up onto the walls to help defend the city. Prepare stones and rolling logs—and… start heating the golden juice as well. Hurry, it must be fast!” Overwhelmed by tension, his voice was fierce on the surface but hollow within.

It was not only Dodo. The defenders at both Desheng Gate and the Great Eastern Advance Gate had already fallen into panic. Under normal circumstances, with the quality of Manchu soldiers, things would not have deteriorated to such a state. But after three days of relentless bombardment, even the strongest warriors had become fragile. In everyone’s mind, only one thought remained: if even such solid city walls could be blasted apart by Ming artillery, how could their flesh-and-blood bodies possibly withstand the Ming army’s assault?

“Whee—whee—whee…”

A sharp whistle echoed across the battlefield. The first wave of five thousand musketeers split into two columns and advanced separately toward Desheng Gate and the Great Eastern Advance Gate. In tight formation, they reached the city gates—now so badly blasted that their original shape was barely recognizable—and halted at a distance of three hundred and fifty paces.

Under their officers’ commands, the musketeers then spread out along the wall in a long, straight “snake” formation. With a shouted order, more troops surged forward from behind—soldiers carrying long sabers and shields, some lifting ladders, others pushing towering siege towers and shield carts—charging toward the walls with their siege equipment. The unified roar of the soldiers shook the air.

Watching the Ming army rushing toward them, Dodo grabbed Zu Dashou by the collar, gritted his teeth, and said, “General Zu, this is a matter of life and death for our Great Qing. You and we are grasshoppers tied to the same rope—you can’t run, and I can’t jump away either. You know very well what must be done. I don’t need to teach you, do I?”

Though he had defected to the Qing for just over a year, Zu Dashou—once still vigorous in spirit—had aged rapidly in that time. His hair was now completely white. Facing Dodo’s savage gaze, he gave a bitter smile. “Rest assured, Your Highness. I know what to do.”

With that, Zu Dashou waved to those behind him. Soon, more than two thousand soldiers came forward, weapons in hand, hiding behind whatever cover they could find, quietly waiting for the moment when the two sides would truly clash.

As he watched the Ming army draw closer and closer, those large banners emblazoned with the character “Ming,” Zu Dashou’s heart was filled with mixed emotions. Just over a year ago, he had been a Ming general, bearing the responsibility of defending against the Manchu invaders. And now, scarcely a year later, he was about to face his former comrades-in-arms in battle. There was nothing more absurd in the world than this.

Though the cries of battle thundered outside, Zu Dashou’s thoughts had long since drifted far away. He did not know how much time passed before a voice rang out beside him: “Archers, come out—loose arrows!”

“Loose arrows, quickly!” officers shouted from all around.

With their cries, archers began to lean out from their hiding places and shoot forward. Arrow after arrow flew toward the approaching enemy.

As bowstrings twanged, scattered arrows began to fall into the Ming army’s charging formations, and Ming soldiers were struck and fell.

Seeing this, the already-prepared musket officers shouted loudly, “Musketeers, step forward—covering fire!”

“Bang—bang… bang bang bang…”

The crack of muskets erupted in waves. Many archers who had leaned out to shoot were struck by the rapidly flying lead balls, crying out miserably as they fell.

No musketeer was born a sharpshooter; only vast quantities of ammunition could forge true marksmanship. Each of these musketeers had expended enormous amounts of ammunition in training. While not every one of them could be called a master shot, with the Minié-style rifled muskets in their hands, hitting targets at three hundred paces was hardly a problem. Under the continuous fire of the musketeers, most archers who dared to expose themselves became victims of their guns.

As the rhythmic gunfire continued, archer after archer was claimed by lead bullets. At last, the remaining few hundred archers lost their nerve. No matter how fiercely the officers cursed and berated them, they refused to lean out to shoot again. Seeing this, Dodo—supervising from behind—flew into a rage. He strode up to Zu Dashou and shouted angrily, “General Zu, the Ming army is about to storm the walls! Why aren’t your men continuing to shoot? If you don’t know how to command, I don’t mind enforcing military law in your place!”

Zu Dashou glanced back at Dodo, suppressing his anger, and pointed at the corpses lying in disarray all around. “Prince Deyu, you can see it for yourself. It’s not that we are unwilling to fight to the death—the Ming muskets are simply too formidable. Of the thousand archers under my command, fewer than three hundred remain. Forcing them to shoot now would only be sending them to die for nothing.”

“You still dare to argue!” Dodo cut him off angrily, pointing at his nose. “I’ve long heard that you Guanning troops are cowardly and useless. Before, I didn’t believe it, but now it seems the reputation is well deserved. So what if a few hundred have died? Aren’t there still over three hundred left? Make them keep shooting! Anyone who dares to shrink from battle—don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

Zu Dashou, a veteran commander of many years, could not tolerate such berating. Seeing Dodo’s finger nearly touching his nose, he finally snapped, saying coldly, “Since Prince Deyu says our Guanning troops are cowardly and useless, then in my view we might as well withdraw and rest for a while, and let us see how the brave and valiant Manchu warriors fight the Ming army in a bloody battle.”

“You damned Ming dog!” Dodo’s eyes instantly blazed with fury. His teeth ground together as his right hand gripped the saber at his waist. “You dare disobey my orders on the battlefield—do you really think I wouldn’t dare kill you?”

Zu Dashou glared back without backing down. “Prince Deyu, I am here under the emperor’s command to assist you in defending the city, not to die for your temper. If you have the guts, take it out on the Ming army outside the walls. What kind of ability is it to kill your own people?”

Zu Dashou had truly steeled himself today. When he and Wu Sangui and the others fled to Liaodong, their combined forces numbered only about eight thousand. Now, fewer than four thousand remained under his command—men he had personally cultivated for many years, his elite core, all of them seasoned cavalry. Calling these troops his lifeblood would not be an exaggeration. He also knew very well that his ability to speak with any authority among the Qing rested entirely on these men. If he lost them, the Manchus would not even spare him a glance. How could he bear to see them all wasted away?

“You’re courting death!” The hot-tempered Dodo drew his saber and slashed at Zu Dashou.

“Clang!” A crisp sound rang out. Zu Dashou, already prepared, drew his own blade and parried the strike. As the two weapons collided, a clear metallic ring echoed. Seeing their commanders come to blows, soldiers from both sides surged forward, glaring at one another. An internal clash was on the brink of erupting.

“What are you doing?!”

A thunderous shout suddenly rang out nearby. Everyone turned to see Dorgon himself, clad in bright yellow armor, arriving atop the city wall. Striding up to the two men, Dorgon roared, “The enemy is at the gates, and instead of uniting to repel them, you’re starting an internal fight. Are you all pigs?!”

Dorgon’s arrival stunned everyone. Dodo pointed at Zu Dashou and said, “Your Majesty… I told you long ago these Ming dogs couldn’t be trusted. The Ming army has begun the assault, yet they still cling to life and fear death. Just now, I was merely—”

“Enough!” Dorgon shouted. “I saw everything just now. General Zu has indeed done his utmost. As the commander defending this gate, you not only failed to encourage the troops and raise morale, but even sought to vent your anger by killing your own soldiers. What exactly are you trying to do? Do you think we aren’t dying fast enough already?”

Dorgon berated Dodo harshly before turning to Zu Dashou with an apologetic expression. “General Zu, I saw what happened just now. This matter was Dodo’s fault. I apologize to you on his behalf. Now disaster is upon us, and the Ming army’s assault is fierce. To speak bluntly, if Shengjing falls, none of us will have a place to be buried. General Zu, I know your troops have suffered heavy losses. Please withdraw your men to rest for now. Observe the battle from the rear, and watch as I personally lead the warriors of the Plain Yellow Banner here to fight the Ming army to the death!”

“Your Majesty—”

Zu Dashou was dumbfounded. Dorgon intended to personally defend the city, while he, a surrendered general, was to withdraw and rest. If he truly did that, he would likely be hacked into eighteen pieces by the Manchus before even reaching the foot of the wall.

With that thought, he dropped to his knees with a thud, tears streaming as he cried, “Your Majesty, this guilty subject deserves death a thousand times over! You are the Son of Heaven, a body worth ten thousand gold—how can you risk yourself in battle? Please withdraw and observe from behind. Let this guilty subject fight the Ming army to the death!”

Zu Dashou knew that with Dorgon’s arrival, he had been pushed into a corner. Today, he either repelled the Ming army and lived, or died fighting on these walls. There was no third path.

A flicker of despair crossed his eyes as he shouted to the Guandong troops around him, “Brothers, you’ve all seen it—if the Ming army breaks into the city, we will all die. If we want to live, we must fight them with everything we’ve got. Come, follow me and kill the enemy!”

With that, Zu Dashou ran to the wall, bent down, picked up a stone, and hurled it outward. Seeing him take the lead, his Guanning troops followed suit, picking up stones and rolling logs and throwing them down over the walls.

Watching the Guanning troops resume the fight, Dorgon secretly let out a long breath of relief. Turning to Dodo, he suppressed his anger and scolded him, “Do you realize how foolish your actions just now were? If you had truly come to blows with Zu Dashou on the wall, could Desheng Gate still have been held? If Desheng Gate falls, Shengjing is finished. Do I really need to remind you of that?”

Dodo now realized how rash his behavior had been. Cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead. If Shengjing were lost because of him, he would become an eternal sinner in Manchu history.

“Fourteenth Brother, I was wrong!” Gone was his earlier ferocity. Dodo stood before Dorgon with his head lowered, as meek as a lamb.

“Hmph… reflect on yourself,” Dorgon snorted. He was about to say more when a panting goshiha ran over, knelt before him, and said fearfully, “Your Majesty, the Prince Su has sent word. The Ming army is attacking the Great Eastern Advance Gate fiercely. Wu Sangui’s men are deliberately conserving their strength, going through the motions without real effort. Prince Su has been forced to deploy the Plain White Banner to the walls to defend the city himself. He requests that Your Majesty immediately send Mongol Banner troops to assist.”

“What? This too?” Dorgon frowned deeply. He knew these defected generals well. If Zu Dashou still possessed some sense of honor, then Wu Sangui was purely a slippery opportunist whose foremost concern was preserving his own strength. The Manchus’ plan was simple: let the Han Banner and Mongol Banner troops wear down the Ming army first, and only commit the Manchu Eight Banners afterward, thereby preserving Manchu strength as much as possible. After several crushing defeats in recent years, more than half of the Manchus’ elite had been lost. Those who remained were precious—each death meant one less irreplaceable warrior. Unless absolutely necessary, Dorgon was unwilling to squander these remaining elites on the city walls, especially since he still intended to rely on them for a grand undertaking.

Thinking of this, Dorgon’s expression darkened. He said in a low voice, “Men, transmit my decree. Have Hogg immediately send forces to supervise the battle. If any of Wu Sangui’s troops show passivity or fail to advance in combat, execute them on the spot!”

“Yes!” The goshiha acknowledged and hurried off.

Watching him leave, Dodo’s lips twitched as if he wanted to say something, but he stopped himself. His expression did not escape Dorgon’s notice. Dorgon did not bother to explain further. He said to Dodo, “I fear Hogg alone won’t be able to restrain that sly Wu Sangui. I must go personally to keep him in check. You must hold Desheng Gate at all costs—understand?”

“Rest assured, Your Majesty. As long as your humble brother stands, Desheng Gate stands. If the Ming army wishes to take Desheng Gate, they will have to step over my corpse. As long as I draw breath, I will not let them advance even half a step past Desheng Gate!”

Dorgon said nothing more. He merely patted Dodo on the shoulder and walked away…