Chapter 64: Ground-Listening, Ambush

South of Yongding Gate in Beijing, where the Xiaolong River flows from east to west into the Liangshui River, about sixteen li to the south, a stone bridge lies across the Liangshui River. The stone bridge connects the official roadways on both banks of the river; it is over ten zhang long and less than three zhang wide.

On the twentieth day of the tenth month in the eleventh year of Chongzhen, at the hour of chen, the weather was clear and the sun was just rising.

One hundred and two knights of Squad A, Right Platoon, Cavalry Company of the Right Wing Camp under the Xuanfu Garrison of the Great Ming, led by Platoon Commander Tong Shoushan, crossed the Liangshui River from this spot and entered the eastern suburbs of Beijing.

For days, Zhang Cheng had daily dispatched a company of cavalry across the Liangshui River. They would then find a deserted village, a ruined fortress, or a densely wooded mountain to serve as a temporary camp, leaving a squad of cavalry hidden and stationed there for backup. The other two squads, acting as independent units, would venture out to scout the terrain, topography, and the movement patterns of the enemy cavalry across the eastern suburbs.

Today, Platoon Commander Tong Shoushan led his unit out on a scouting mission and established their camp on a hillside about twenty li away from the Liangshui River. This hill was over three hundred meters high, its primary advantage being its gentle slope, which made the hillside quite long. Moreover, the slope was covered with dense trees, thick weeds, and fallen leaves, making it ideal for concealment.

At present, it was decided that Squad A would remain stationed among the trees on the hillside. Led by Zuo Qinghe, who concurrently served as the Deputy Platoon Commander and Squad Leader of Squad A, the first squad concealed themselves near the top of the slope to easily observe the surrounding situation. The second squad hid in a ditch to the southeast of the hillside, where most of the spare warhorses were gathered for convenient watering and feeding of forage. The third squad hid inside a dilapidated temple to the northwest of the hillside. They were about one li apart from one another.

Platoon Commander Tong Shoushan personally led Squad B and Squad C northward. Their destination for the day was near the Empress Xiao River. If possible, they would cross to the north side of the Empress Xiao River to have a look.

They split into two groups. Tong Shoushan led Squad B in the lead to scout the path, while Squad C followed behind. Maintaining a distance of more than three hundred paces between them, they hurried toward the Empress Xiao River one after another.

On the northern bank of the Empress Xiao River stood a ridge mostly covered with weeds and bushes, though large trees were scarce.

Among the weeds on the ridge, a dozen figures lay completely motionless, bellies to the ground, facing outward in a circle to observe every movement in the surrounding area.

One hundred paces to their northeast, beside the official roadway, was a grove of trees. Tong Shoushan and the remaining fifty-odd men were resting and recuperating within the grove.

Suddenly, a soldier sprang to his feet and said to Tong Shoushan, "Commander, there is cavalry—more than ten men."

Tong Shoushan had been resting against a tree. Hearing this, he instantly snapped to attention and whispered, "Are you certain?"

Faced with his question, the soldier lost a bit of his confidence and hurriedly pressed his ear against a leather arrow quiver laid upside down on the ground, listening intently.

Nearby, Ma Yuan, the commander of Squad C who originally came from a background of elite night-scouts, heard the soldier's words and swiftly drew a dagger with a swish, plunging it an inch deep into the earth. He quickly pressed his ear against the dagger's blade to listen carefully.

After listening for a short while, he raised his head and said to Tong Shoushan, "Chief Tong, it should be enemy cavalry—to the northeast, no more than twenty men."

The soldier who had just finished listening also lifted his head and nodded vigorously.

At that moment, a soldier came running hastily down the ridge, bent low. Reaching Tong Shoushan's side, he said urgently, "Commander, Tartar cavalry, about sixteen of them, less than two li away, heading right this way."

As he spoke, he pointed with his finger toward the northeast.

Tong Shoushan waved his hand, and the two squad leaders and five section leaders all gathered around. They heard him give his orders: "Tell your section leader to lie low there and seize the opportunity to ambush the enemy with bows and arrows.

Ma Yuan, take your two squads of Squad C and hide in the earthen ditch alongside the opposite official roadway. Gather some tree leaves and conceal yourselves beneath the grass.

Bao Jiqiang, take your first squad of Squad B to guard the warhorses. The rest will follow me and ambush them right here in this grove.

Listen well, the Tartars ambushed our Right Platoon at Mafang, and today we are going to pay them back in kind. Get your bows, matchlocks, and three-barreled fire-lances ready for me. Do not fire until I make my move. Strike fast and decisive; do not get bogged down in a protracted fight."

Everyone bustled about. Even the footprints on the official roadway were swept away with branches and lightly dusted with withered leaves. Everything was in readiness, awaiting only the arrival of the Tartar cavalry.

The troop of Qing cavalry came galloping along. At the head of the formation was an extremely robust Qing soldier mounted on an equally sturdy black warhorse. He wore bright armor with exposed iron plates, and a black-tasseled helmet upon his head. Judging by his back banner, he was a Qing skirmish-leader—a *fundari*.

Beside him rode a cavalryman clad in pure white cotton armor with concealed iron plates, also bearing a smaller back banner. Following behind them were fourteen more Qing cavalrymen, all attired in pure white cotton armor with concealed iron plates inside.

The Qing cavalry numbered sixteen in total, consisting of one *fundari*, one valiant warrior (*zhadat*), and fourteen ordinary armored cavalrymen. Judging by their attire, they were all vanguard scouts from the Pure White Banner's *Aliya-Okhaha* Camp.

Ever since Emperor Taiji ascended the throne, in order to further dilute the power of the banner lords, the *niru* ceased to be the sole military unit. Instead, a fixed number of able-bodied men were regularly drafted from each *niru* to form separate armies.

Before this latest invasion by the Qing forces, the preliminary restructuring of the three major Qing camps had essentially been completed. The new military system was built primarily around the *Bayara* Camp (later known as the Imperial Guard Camp), the *Aliya-Okhaha* Camp (later known as the Skirmisher Camp), and the *Gabushiyan* Camp (later known as the Vanguard Camp). This weakened the banner lords' control over the military while strengthening imperial authority over the armed forces.

In addition to these three major camps, the formation of infantry camps, sharp-shooter camps, firearm camps, tiger-gun camps, and wrestling camps was successively begun.

It was also from this time onward that the Chien-nu truly cast aside the tribal clan-militia system and gradually began to resemble a national army.

However, the *Gabushiyan* Camp of the present era was generally used only as a guard escort during Emperor Taiji's inspections and would not casually accompany the army on campaigns.

The leaders of the *Bayara* Camps in each banner—the *Bayara Janggin*—commanded *Bayara* troops numbering no more than six or seven hundred at most, and they were not easily deployed. They were only used when breaching border walls, assaulting fortified cities, or for the most critical scouting missions.

For ordinary reconnaissance missions like this, there was naturally no need to dispatch the elite *Bayara* troops of the banners; these were merely routine scouts from the Pure White Banner's *Aliya-Okhaha* Camp.

In an instant, they rounded the bend along the official roadway.

Tong Shoushan lay prone in the woods fifteen paces east of the official roadway. His body was covered in withered branches and fallen leaves. His three-barreled fire-lance protruded forward from beneath the dead leaves, aiming toward the official roadway. He remained utterly motionless, not even daring to draw a full breath.

Listening as the sound of hoofbeats grew closer and closer, in the blink of an eye they seemed to be right beside him, he saw a particularly robust Qing soldier riding a black warhorse flash past his eyes.

"Bang!"

Tong Shoushan fired the first shot.

The Qing valiant warrior was galloping right beside the *fundari* when the sudden roar of a gunshot rang out. He was startled first, and then his mount's front legs buckled as it collapsed onto the ground, throwing him violently from the saddle.

"Bang... bang... bang... bang..."

A chorus of gunfire erupted. From beneath the weeds and fallen leaves on both sides of the official roadway, billows of white smoke rose one after another, shifting continuously in a most striking display.

Following that came the continuous, collective creaking sound of bowstrings being pulled taut.

"Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh... whoosh..."

Arrows flew crisscrossing through the air. First, flights of arrows were shot out from the grove on the eastern side of the official roadway. The Qing cavalry on the road had just been struck by a volley of gunfire and had yet to recover when another dozen or more arrows rained down upon them.

"Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh..."

Then, the weeds and fallen leaves on the western side of the official roadway erupted. The smoke from the newly discharged matchlocks had yet to disperse, swirling into the air alongside flying dead leaves, as over a dozen Ming soldiers suddenly leaped to their feet. Pulling their bows rapidly to their full draw, they sent arrow after arrow flying from the string.

The three-barreled fire-lances and matchlocks deployed by Tong Shoushan had been fired directly from where the men lay prone beneath the grass and dead leaves on the ground, but the archers had concealed themselves behind large trees, stepping out to release a synchronized volley at the exact moment the firearms were discharged.

Since there were no large trees to hide behind on the western side of the official roadway, the archers there had remained flat on their stomachs beneath the weeds and dead leaves just like the musketeers. When the firearms blasted, they sprang up abruptly into a standing position, drew their bows, and loosed a simultaneous volley.