Each Imperial Guard fire-subduing crossbow battalion was equipped with six heavy front-loading smoothbore cannons and twelve light front-loading smoothbore cannons.
The heavy front-loading smoothbore cannons measured one zhang in length, weighed over five thousand jin, and when firing solid shot could reach a range of three thousand paces. The light front-loading smoothbore cannons measured six chi in length, weighed over two thousand jin, and when firing solid shot could also reach the astonishing range of sixteen hundred paces that left contemporary soldiers gaping.
Besides solid shot, Luoyang Academy had also developed two types of special ammunition—grape shot and chain shot—for fan-shaped area kills at close range of three to five hundred paces. However, these two types of ammunition required higher operational standards from gunners. Explosive shells were still in the experimental stage, with technology not yet mature enough for combat deployment.
After Luoyang Academy successfully tested cannons suitable for combat deployment, with Luoyang Arsenal’s production capacity, casting three to five hundred light and heavy cannons in nearly a year was no problem at all. However, training skilled gunners became the greatest obstacle to early expansion of fire-subduing crossbow battalions.
As epoch-making military equipment, how cannons would coordinate in actual combat with traditional infantry and cavalry after being deployed on the battlefield was also an entirely new subject for Luoyang Military Academy.
A year ago, the Military Academy had secretly established related specialized courses, selecting personnel from the military and Luoyang Military Academy students for specialized training and drill. Currently, they had only formed a total of eight fire-subduing crossbow battalions, and these were all first organized under the Imperial Guard sequence, then allocated to various armies according to need.
Excluding the four fire-subduing crossbow battalions already allocated, the Imperial Guard currently had only newly formed four fire-subduing crossbow battalions.
To closely observe the cannons’ actual combat performance, after consulting with Tian Cheng, Li Zhigao decided to merge the four fire-subduing crossbow battalions to form an entirely new artillery brigade. Chen Kun would serve as concurrent Brigade Commander, bringing over a dozen Military Academy supervisors and instructors forming a staff operations group to lead this artillery brigade to participate in the southern Shanxi campaign.
Including auxiliary personnel, gunners, and sword-and-shield guards, one fully-staffed Imperial Guard fire-subduing crossbow battalion numbered three hundred men. The artillery brigade at full strength numbered twelve hundred men, equivalent to a normal cavalry unit. Mixed among logistics troops transporting grain and fodder as they headed to the southern Shanxi front, they attracted no attention whatsoever.
The cannons were towed by heavy-duty wagons, with the gun barrels wrapped in thick tarpaulins, making them appear to onlookers as components of heavy whirlwind catapults.
However, the deep ruts left by steel-hub rubber wheels on the post roads, and each cannon-towing wagon pulled by two to six strong horses, could still allow enemy scouts lurking along the post roads to notice something unusual.
But even if enemy forces lurking nearby noticed something unusual, or even directly saw the true appearance of cast iron cannon barrels, who could imagine what role these pitch-black cast iron tubes would play once deployed on the battlefield?
Feng Yi and Han Jianji remained in Luoyang to handle affairs of the newly established Court of State Ceremonies. Wen Ruilin accompanied Sima De, the Shu envoy Cao Zhe, and their party, traveling together with the artillery brigade and logistics troops delivering a new round of supplies to observe the battle in Zezhou.
Cao Zhe was the son of Cao Gan. Since the Yuzhou period, he and his father Cao Gan had followed at the side of Shu ruler Wang Yong. He was one of the six Grand Commanders of Shu’s newly organized Forbidden Army. This delegation to Luoyang, led by Cao Zhe, was mainly composed of officers drawn from the Shu Forbidden Army and Privy Council. Besides congratulating Liang forces on their great victory at Fanchuan River and further promoting a Liang-Shu alliance, they could also comprehensively understand just how strong Liang’s current combat capability was, and where exactly that strength lay.
As the son of Sima Yan who had died of illness in Bianliang nine years ago, Sima De had spent these years avoiding his uncle Sima Tan’s suspicions by relinquishing all military and political duties in Xuzhou, severing contact with Xuzhou officers, and specializing in the study of poetry, calligraphy, painting, and such arts.
Psychologically, Sima De still had some sense of belonging to Great Liang.
After the Battle of Fanchuan River, seeing how utterly vulnerable the Chuzhou Army was, Xuzhou naturally panicked completely. They hastily recalled the secret envoys sent to Chuzhou to negotiate with Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan, then pushed him forward to Luoyang. Yet Sima De felt quite content with this arrangement.
Of course, besides Sima De, the two deputy envoys in the Xuzhou-Sizhou secret delegation were trusted confidants of his uncle Sima Tan.
Although the Battle of Fanchuan River directly extinguished thoughts among Xuzhou-Sizhou people of joining Chu, and the Mongol army—whose iron hooves had trampled the Central Plains and been invincible—had been beaten to gasping remnants, and Zhu Rang and Liang Ren could hardly amount to anything after Liang Shixiong and Weibo’s elite troops were annihilated at Xingyang, and Xu Mingzhen was bedridden while his son Xu Sizhao might not be able to suppress the Shouzhou Army generals—all these factors determined that people in Xuzhou-Sizhou had developed thoughts of turning to embrace Great Liang.
However, regarding exactly what manner they should use to return to Great Liang’s embrace, people in Xuzhou-Sizhou still had many ideas in mind.
Unfortunately, after several days in Luoyang, let alone having an audience with Great Liang’s ruler Han Qian, they hadn’t even had the opportunity to meet several of Liang’s first-tier ministers like Gu Qian, Feng Liao, Li Zhigao, Tian Cheng, and Han Daoming. Finally, it was Wen Ruilin who came forward to invite them to observe the battle in southern Shanxi.
They also traveled with the logistics troops and artillery brigade.
They were naturally no strangers to Chen Kun’s reputation, and were full of curiosity about this special force directly commanded by Chen Kun among the northward-bound logistics transport troops.
However, even when camping, though they could see Liang soldiers carefully wiping and maintaining cast iron cannon barrels dampened by rain and snow, they had absolutely no idea what kind of new military equipment this was.
Of course, they didn’t take it lightly either. In their hearts they thought that over these past three or four years, Liang forces deploying spring-arm weapons on the battlefield had already made all sides suffer greatly. If this new equipment was even somewhat superior, this coming battle would most likely see the Mongol army’s main forces return in defeat.
Crossing the Yu River at Lingshang Ferry in Mianchi, proceeding north through Zhiguan Pass to Jiang County, then to Qinshui County at the southern foot of the Taiyue Mountains—the post roads along this route had all been carefully repaired and widened. The artillery brigade and logistics troops delivering supplies traveled very quickly.
By late November, they entered southern Shanxi. By this time, southern Shanxi had entered the harsh season when water froze upon contact.
Entering Zezhou territory, after the logistics transport troops passed Qinshui County, they did not stop within Yangcheng County territory, nor did they proceed to Jincheng to join Kong Xirong leading the Northern Expedition Army’s main forces. Instead, they headed directly north toward Gaoping County.
The post road conditions within Zezhou territory were fairly good. The accumulated snow had been cleared by personnel organized by local township offices, though snow on both sides of the road over the past two days had not been cleared and was nearly two chi thick.
Even in the current era when the northern lands had clearly entered a cold period over the past thirty years, this could be considered unusually heavy snow.
When the logistics troops reached the southern foot of Jinquan Mountain at the border between northern Gaoping County and Huguan County in Luzhou, they dispersed to various camps on the southern slope. Sima De and Cao Zhe, along with Chen Kun, Wen Ruilin, and others, proceeded directly to the main camp headquarters.
Along the way they could see several thousand military and civilian personnel braving wind and snow, arduously constructing camps and winding mountain roads.
In the southern Shanxi basin between the Taiyue and Taihang Mountains, within a radius of over one hundred thousand square li, although relatively open low mountains and hills predominated, at the border between Zezhou and Luzhou there were still geographical barriers centered on the two mountain ranges of Danzhu Ridge and Jinquan Mountain, with main peaks reaching three to four hundred zhang high and impassable to military forces, separating Ze and Lu prefectures.
From Jinquan Mountain east to Doucheng Ridge within Lingchuan County territory, there was a gap of about thirteen to fourteen li. This was the main passage between Ze and Lu regions, and also the necessary route for Mongol forces advancing south from Luzhou to reinforce or for Mongol military and civilians in Jincheng to withdraw north from Zezhou territory.
The situation was quite clear—to prevent the hundred thousand-plus Mongol military and civilians in Jincheng from fleeing north, and to block the Mongol army’s main forces from advancing south to reinforce, the area east of Jinquan Mountain was the optimal interception point.
After entering October, the Taiyue Campaign Army’s main forces, having contracted into Gaoping County territory, primarily relied on the mountain ridges at the eastern foot of Jinquan Mountain to construct fortified camps and military posts.
The Mongol army was equally clear that to receive and escort the hundred thousand-plus Mongol military and civilians from Jincheng withdrawing north, they must defeat the Liang forces stationed at the western foot of Jinquan Mountain to open the north-south passage.
In mid-to-late November, Mongol forces from Taiyuan territory had continuously assembled at Luzhou City and Huguan City to the south. Their forward line had also advanced to the northeastern foot of Jinquan Mountain. The situation determined that the next large-scale battle between both sides would inevitably erupt around various strategic passes at the eastern foot of Jinquan Mountain.
In the ice and snow, thousands of laborers recruited locally, undaunted by the harsh cold, were constructing and widening narrow mountain paths from the south to facilitate passage of troops and vehicles.
From accent and dress, Sima De and Cao Zhe could tell these laborers were all recruited locally. However, observing their expressions and faces, there was no unwillingness or resistance typical of forced labor. The vast majority of laborers’ faces even beamed with expectation and enthusiasm of particular significance.
Wen Ruilin accompanied them throughout, generously introducing the many tasks Liang forces had undertaken besides military operations before and after advancing into southern Shanxi.
Everything before their eyes was actually closely related to infiltration work conducted as early as three or four years ago.
After the great victory at Zhiguan Pass, although Tian Weiye had not received important positions, after submitting he still received extremely favorable treatment arrangements. This significantly reduced hostility among captured soldiers from southern Shanxi to a considerable degree.
On this foundation, the Staff Office assimilated captured soldiers from various counties in southern Shanxi, particularly focusing on cultivating those from poor backgrounds who had suffered oppression by local powers and who had been press-ganged into the Luzhou Army.
When the Taiyue Campaign Army and the First and Second Central Campaign Armies fully advanced into the southern Shanxi region in late July, these submitted captives played an enormous role in helping Liang rapidly establish ruling order in Zezhou.
Currently, besides Jincheng, other regions of Zezhou, including Yangcheng, Gaoping, and Lingchuan counties, not only had established county-level government offices, but were even establishing Zezhou Prefecture government offices in Lingchuan County seat. Chen Yuanchen served as concurrent Zezhou Prefecture Magistrate, governing the region. Township offices in various counties had also launched large-scale movements mobilizing lower-class poor people to reduce rents and grain levies and suppress local tyrants and evil gentry.
This enabled the Taiyue Campaign Army and First and Second Campaign Armies to not only recruit tens of thousands of laborers from local areas for constructing camps, fortifications, roads, and bridges when entering southern Shanxi for combat, but also directly purchase large quantities of grain from local areas through cotton cloth, salt, iron goods, and copper coins and silver currency issued by Liang.
This greatly reduced logistical pressure.
Combined with large-scale deployment of heavy-duty wagons, Liang’s nearly one hundred thousand main elite forces entering southern Shanxi for campaign required only twenty thousand logistics personnel traveling back and forth between Luoyang and southern Shanxi to already meet frontline material supply needs.
Sima De, Cao Zhe, and others entered a valley at the southeastern foot of Jinquan Mountain. Li Xiu’s headquarters was established in the valley. Though the valley only garrisoned over two thousand troops, it was the core hub of the Jinquan Mountain defense line. In the headquarters tent, Sima De and Cao Zhe saw generals of the Taiyue Campaign Army including Li Xiu, Su Lie, Chen Yuanchen, Wen Yuan, and Li Yan.
Among the Taiyue Campaign Army generals, Li Xiu and Su Lie were considered older, but had only just passed forty. Chen Yuanchen and Wen Yuan were only thirty-three or thirty-four years old. Li Yan and others were even younger.
Seeing this scene and recalling how when Zhao Wuji led troops across Fanchuan River, the Chuzhou Army had hardly any young, vigorous generals charging into battle, and in the end it was Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan, over fifty years old, who personally led the Silver Halberd Guard attempting to take enemy general Zhao Wuji’s head among ten thousand troops—Sima De couldn’t help but sigh with emotion in his heart.
Just looking at the ages of mid-to-high-level commanders, after the glorious era of Emperor Tianyou passed, the Chu court had now reached its twilight years.
Entering Li Xiu’s headquarters tent, Sima De learned that even though blocked by heavy snow weather, the Mongol reinforcement main forces had by now basically all entered Huguan City, including troops reinforced from Taiyuan as well as garrisons previously assembled at Luzhou City. To receive and escort the Mongol military and civilians besieged in Jincheng withdrawing north, the Mongol army could be said to have deployed their full strength.
The Mongol reinforcement main forces included over fifty thousand cavalry and over sixty thousand infantry mainly composed of Yan-Yun and Liaodong (Bohai) Han troops. Combined with their forces trapped in Jincheng, the Mongol army’s total forces entering the southern Shanxi basin exceeded one hundred fifty thousand.
At this time, the vanguard of Mongol reinforcement forces—over ten thousand cavalry—had even approached the line at the northern foot of Jinquan Mountain and could attack their several defensive camps at the northern foot of Jinquan Mountain at any moment.
Meanwhile, besides the Northern Expedition Army’s main forces under Kong Xirong’s command—sixty thousand troops encircling Jincheng from the east and west flanks—Liang forces consisted of Li Xiu and other generals leading thirty thousand Taiyue Campaign Army troops, primarily garrisoned along the Jinquan Mountain line.
For the Mongol army to receive and escort Jincheng’s military and civilians withdrawing north, they must open the passage east of Jinquan Mountain. For Li Xiu and his forces, there were two choices: first, the First Central Campaign Army could advance north to reinforce, together with the Taiyue Campaign Army sealing off the Jinquan Mountain front to directly intercept and severely damage the Mongol reinforcement main forces; second, the Taiyue Campaign Army could contract toward the southern foot of Jinquan Mountain, first yielding the passage east of Jinquan Mountain. After the Mongol reinforcement main forces entered Zezhou territory, the Taiyue Campaign Army would attack their rear troops, retake the passage east of Jinquan Mountain, seal off all Mongol reinforcement main forces and Jincheng defenders within Zezhou territory for complete annihilation.
If the artillery brigade could not be transferred into Jinquan Mountain in time, the Northern Expedition Army would undoubtedly adopt the first strategy, blocking the Mongol reinforcement main forces north of Jinquan Mountain to ensure complete elimination of Jincheng defenders. However, since Kong Xirong, Li Xiu, and Han Donghu hoped to deploy the artillery brigade into southern Shanxi for actual combat, they naturally saw the possibility of completely annihilating the Mongol army’s main forces.
Now, of course, they would unhesitatingly withdraw all outlying troops, contracting toward the southern foot of Jinquan Mountain, yielding the passage east of Jinquan Mountain, waiting for the Mongol reinforcement main forces to enter the trap.
Cao Ba and Sima De were invited to observe the battle. After entering the main camp, their movements and those of a small number of accompanying personnel would be strictly controlled. However, large numbers of operational plans need not be kept secret from them. Wen Ruilin even accompanied them to observe the Taiyue Campaign Army’s garrison situation near Jinquan Mountain.
Learning of Liang forces’ battle plan, the degree of shock in Cao Ba and Sima De’s hearts could be completely described as utter astonishment.
Even in the ice and snow, scout reconnaissance of military intelligence would be relatively difficult, but such large-scale troop movements meant both sides’ combat intentions could not be hidden.
If Liang forces deliberately invited them into the trap, the Mongol army could naturally turn the tables, with main forces first advancing south from east of Jinquan Mountain, leaving small reserve forces near Jinquan Mountain. But when the Taiyue Campaign Army attacked eastward from the southern foot of Jinquan Mountain, the Mongol main forces could completely execute a return charge, attacking from front and rear with reserve forces to first devour the Taiyue Campaign Army.
Excluding two to three ten thousand troops dispatched north of Jincheng to intercept Liang’s First and Second Central Campaign Armies advancing north, the Mongol army could deploy eighty to ninety thousand elite troops in the Jinquan Mountain and Gaoping County areas—three times the Taiyue Campaign Army in numerical strength, with no possibility of being defeated piecemeal by the Taiyue Campaign Army.
What confidence did the Taiyue Campaign Army have to fight one against three in the low mountains and hills south and east of Jinquan Mountain—terrain extremely suitable for Mongol cavalry main forces?
Of course, they had no authority to criticize Liang forces’ battle plans. Even with strong concerns, they could only express them briefly to Wen Ruilin, who indicated he could send them ahead to the safer locations of Qinshui or Yangcheng.
However cowardly Sima De and Cao Zhe felt in their hearts, for the sake of dignity they had to remain to observe the battle.
Cao Zhe had no concerns for his personal safety. As a Shu envoy, even if captured by Mongol forces, his life would not be in danger.
Sima De was much more anxious.
That Xuzhou-Sizhou had secretly sent him as envoy to Luoyang was currently something that could not see the light of day.
If he fell into Mongol hands, the Sima clan would not acknowledge his existence. If the Mongol army temporarily did not want to completely rupture relations with the Sima clan, they would most likely have to treat him as non-existent.
And dead people were most suitable to be treated as non-existent.
Of course, before the Battle of Fanchuan River, who could have imagined the Chuzhou Army would be so utterly vulnerable? Sima De could not simply assume that Liang forces fighting one against three at Jinquan Mountain would necessarily fail.
They first settled into the main camp. At dusk and the next morning, they faintly heard rumbling thunder-like explosions from nearby valleys, even at night. This kept them from sleeping soundly at night—in the bitter cold, with thunder near and far, rolling along the ground surface—this was indeed surprising enough. Was this normal thunder?
They had no idea this was the artillery brigade towing cannons to various garrisons for test firing.
As epoch-making new military equipment, the vast majority of Liang soldiers did not know of the cannons’ existence.
If before battle there was no degree of contact and adaptation, and cannons were directly deployed on the battlefield during engagement, the enormous noise when firing would first frighten soldiers and horses in their own battle formations—that would truly be both laughable and lamentable.
As for the possibility that this might alert lurking enemy scouts who had infiltrated Jinquan Mountain, causing the Mongol army to be alerted in advance—this was also a choice that had to be made.
Of course, intelligence transmitted back by numerous inside sources could all confirm that the Mongol army previously had absolutely no awareness of cannons existing among Liang forces. Even if Wusu Dashi heard scouts’ descriptions of cannon test firing, he would likely find it very difficult to make correct judgments, and might even think Liang forces were deliberately creating suspicious formations to hesitate and shake their resolve to advance south.
“Thunder roaring with purple flame and firelight?”
Hongjiao Ridge was an unremarkable spur at the western foot of the Taihang Mountains within Huguan County. Looking south toward Jinquan Mountain and Doucheng Ridge, it was the necessary passage from Luzhou’s Huguan County south into Zezhou. Under blankets of white snow, the rock colors on mountain slopes and ridges resembled scorched red earth, hence the name Hongjiao Ridge. At this time it was also where Mongol vanguard forces were encamped.
Wusu Dashi had organized fifty thousand troops from Taiyuan to personally reinforce southern Shanxi. At this time he was together with the vanguard forces, stationed deep within Hongjiao Ridge, observing enemy intelligence on Liang forces. Xiao Yiqing had also infiltrated from southern Shanxi to rendezvous with Wusu Dashi.
Wusu Dashi placed extreme importance on reconnaissance of enemy intelligence. Scouts infiltrating deep into Jinquan Mountain not only brought news of Liang forces contracting toward the southern foot of Jinquan Mountain, but also brought back intelligence about some special military equipment being tested in Liang’s main camp.
“In the early years of the previous dynasty, Daoist alchemists refined lead pills by combining sulfur, saltpeter, orpiment with honey. Fire flashed, purple smoke rose rushing out of the house, explosions like thunder, and people in the house had faces and hands destroyed. Later generations called this lead pill,” said Xiao Yiqing, widely read in ancient and modern texts. Hearing the scout’s description, he quickly recalled situations recorded in miscellaneous books he had read in his youth. “However, the power did not match the new military equipment used by Liang forces. Perhaps Liang forces made further breakthroughs based on lead pills?”
Liang assembled thousands of students at Luoyang and Liyang Academies to develop new learning and mathematics, constantly producing ingenious and wonderful methods. This prompted Liang forces to frequently employ marvelous battle tactics beyond ordinary imagination in actual combat. The Mongol army had suffered greatly from this.
In the Battle of Zhiguan Pass, all signs indicated that Liang forces had predicted heavy fog would occur that night even before the decisive battle. This should also be an achievement of new learning.
Although Xiao Yiqing in recent years had also advised Wusu Dashi to recruit students in Taiyuan to study new learning, whether in scale or progress, the gap with Liang was still too vast.
As Liang forces near Jinquan Mountain were currently contracting toward the southern foot of Jinquan Mountain, Xiao Yiqing did not fear what conspiracies Liang forces had. He only feared that Liang forces had made some new major breakthrough in military equipment that would catch them completely off guard when encountered on the battlefield.
“Liang forces clearly know our army’s scouts will inevitably infiltrate Jinquan Mountain to observe their movements. That they frequently drill new military equipment in various camps—I believe they are creating suspicious formations to intimidate us from advancing south!” A general called Nahe Yanzhen stood up unconcernedly and said.
Seeing Wusu Dashi look toward him, Xiao Yiqing felt bitter in his heart. If Liang forces did not have great confidence, they could completely concentrate troops to intercept them north of Jinquan Mountain. Why would they need to play empty fort strategies?
However, both Chu and Shu were intimidated by Liang forces. If they now retreated in fear of difficulty, the hundred thousand-plus military and civilians in Jincheng would certainly perish. By comparison, this was still their last favorable opportunity to fight a major battle with Liang forces.
Once this opportunity was missed, especially if the hundred thousand-plus military and civilians in Jincheng all perished at Liang’s hands, Mongol military and civilian morale and spirit were destined to daily decline. The day they would be completely driven from the Central Plains would not be far off.
Thinking of this, Xiao Yiqing no longer spoke dispiriting words. He immediately joined with Wusu Dashi and the generals to discuss operational plans for deploying troops to advance south…