nucmednet Chapter 544 Fighting the Tartars
Chapter 544 Fighting the Tartars
"The Tatars are coming!"
These words stunned everyone inside and outside the military camp for a few seconds. They had heard about the Tartar invasion, but the official gazette said they were active in the Beizhili area. How did they end up in Shandong? And specifically in Dengzhou, a coastal city.
Su Hongtu reacted the fastest. With his richest combat experience, he knew that regardless of whether the news was true or not, the pursuers were visible, and the city gates should be closed immediately to prepare for battle. Seeing that Liang Xiaoming was still standing there dumbfounded, he took it upon himself to issue the order: "All soldiers who are training, return to your camps. The artillerymen at the firing range, also withdraw. All of you, go up to the city walls and prepare for defense."
The bugler stood on a high place and blew the assembly call. The loud bugle call was like an alarm. The soldiers who were training outside the barracks and the artillerymen who were practicing at the firing range hurriedly withdrew into the barracks. Under the arrangement and deployment of the battalion commander, and led by the company commander and platoon leader, they went up the city wall in groups.
Liang Xiaoming came to his senses and said to Su Hongtu, "You know I've never led troops before and I know nothing about warfare. I'll leave the defense of the bastion to you. I won't interfere." He was well aware of his strengths and weaknesses. Even Liu Ye focused on the big picture and let go of the details during wartime, only concerned with the strategic direction and not the specific combat command. So he dared not give orders blindly and simply delegated full authority.
Su Hongtu nodded and said, "Please rest assured, General, Hongtu will definitely protect the camp." He was quite confident in defending this small, star-shaped city. Although the Independent Regiment had many new recruits, he had personally experienced the incredible defensive capabilities of such a city—during the defense of Bofu, a guard of just over a thousand men, relying solely on a makeshift rammed earth fortress, repelled repeated attacks from an army of nearly twenty thousand. This complete fortress was naturally even more formidable, and holding it with four infantry battalions would not be difficult.
When the city walls were being fortified, Ma Wei's cavalry battalion had already approached the camp, only a few hundred paces away, and could enter with a single charge. However, the Mongol cavalry behind them also saw the camp and knew it was the enemy's retreat route. They began to accelerate, closing the distance with the cavalry battalion, hoping to catch up with them before entering the city.
The cavalry battalion had a limited number of horses. Except for a few men riding two horses each, the rest rode alone. The constant back-and-forth riding had exhausted their horses, and many fell behind during the retreat due to their horses' exhaustion. Some fled into the fields and forests, while others were captured by the Mongols. The Mongols, on the other hand, mostly rode two horses each, and some even had three, rotating their mounts to maintain their horses' stamina. If Abatai hadn't instructed them to find the cavalry's stronghold and follow from a distance, they would have caught up long ago. Now that their objective had been achieved, this cavalry force was of no use; they could catch and kill as many as possible.
Liang Xiaoming watched as Ma Wei and his men struggled to escape the pursuing cavalry and asked Su Hongtu, "What should we do? Should we close the city gates immediately or let them in?"
Su Hongtu glanced at Ma Wei, who was getting closer and closer, and felt a pang of pity. After all, Ma Wei was the cavalry battalion commander he had personally recommended, and he really didn't want to watch him be caught and killed right under his nose. So he said to Liang Xiaoming, "If you trust me, General, I'd like to give it a try and let Ma Wei in. As for the pursuers, I'll figure out how to deal with them."
Liang Xiaoming nodded quickly: "Your general put in a lot of effort to assemble this cavalry force, it would be a shame to just let it go to waste, so let's bring it in!"
Su Hongtu ordered: "Do not close the city gates. Let the cavalry battalion in first. Send one battalion to guard the city gates. If any pursuers manage to sneak in, kill them on the spot. Everyone on the city walls, go into battle mode. Open fire as soon as any pursuers are within range!"
The soldiers of the Independent Regiment took their posts according to orders. On the city wall facing west, densely packed soldiers held up their Patriot rifles, ready to fire at any moment; behind the city gate, entire companies of soldiers fixed their bayonets, waiting for the moment to fight the pursuers.
The cavalry battalion, having exhausted their last ounce of strength, charged through the city gates. Many men and their horses collapsed to the ground after passing through. Although injuries were inevitable, they were at least safe and their lives were saved.
The Mongol troops, with their superior speed, arrived first, rushing into the city almost immediately after the cavalry battalion before the city gates could close. Upon entering the gate, their first action was to brandish their sabers and cut down any opponents blocking their path, preventing the gates from closing and buying time for the main army behind. However, the enemy seemed to be prepared; large groups of infantry surrounded them, forming an impenetrable line of bayonets, making it difficult for them to advance any further.
Although some soldiers were knocked away by the galloping horses, the dense crowd still managed to stop the cavalry's momentum. In addition, the narrow passage made it difficult for them to maneuver, and many Mongol cavalrymen were unable to dodge in time and crashed into their own men. More and more horses collided and fell to the ground, and the cavalrymen were forced to dismount and fight the infantry head-on, resulting in chaos.
Su Hongtu ignored the battle at the city gate and turned his gaze forward. Several blue banners with golden dragons came into view, followed by large swathes of troops. Through his binoculars, he could clearly see that most of them had shaved heads, with only a tuft of hair in the middle hanging in a small braid—these were clearly the Tartars Ma Wei had mentioned. The Tartar army followed closely behind the cavalry, not far from the city gate. If they delayed any longer, they risked being overwhelmed by the enemy's main force. If the siege turned into a melee within the city, the outcome of the battle would be uncertain.
Su Hongtu made a decisive decision and issued an order: "Let the pursuing cavalry in to fight them. Don't get entangled with them in the gate. Close the city gate immediately and we'll trap them."
The Mongols, caught in a chaotic state, were unable to advance or retreat. Just as they were in a dilemma, they suddenly noticed that the pressure ahead had eased and the road had become clear. The Han Chinese soldiers retreated like a tide, clearing the way for them. Commander Arsleng was overjoyed and brandished his sword, shouting, "Charge in! Kill the dogs of light!"
The Mongols, who had already dismounted, remounted and charged into the city like lightning. Using the powerful momentum of their horses, they leveled their sabers and easily sliced through the necks and chests of soldiers, blood shooting into the air, killing dozens in an instant.
After leading his men for several hundred meters, Arslan turned and charged in the opposite direction. As long as the warhorses could run, repeated charges would be unstoppable by infantry not in formation. But as soon as he turned around, he was surprised to find that in that short time, the enemy had quickly formed a hollow square formation with their backs to the city gate, their bayonets pointing diagonally upwards like a steel barricade.