Chapter 34: Ignition!
Although Ming Xing had promised Chen Tailai that he would be credited with the first merit if he could breach Mengyin County’s defenses, Chen felt no excitement or enthusiasm. Instead, he was itching to draw his sword and chop that bastard Ming Xing to pieces.
No artillery, no large-scale siege equipment—did Ming Xing expect him to ram open the gates of Mengyin County with his bare head?
Cursing inwardly, Chen Tailai strode toward the three thousand river troops under his command as the River Governor.
Stuck with such a worthless superior, these three thousand soldiers were the only ones who could offer Chen Tailai a shred of warmth.
Clearing his throat, Chen bellowed, “Listen up! Out of consideration for your hardships, I’ve personally secured from the Governor the honor of leading the vanguard!”
“The first man to break into Mengyin County will be promoted one rank and rewarded with a hundred taels of silver! Anyone who cuts off the head of a rebel leader will be promoted three ranks and given a thousand taels! Capture or kill the chief rebel, Zhu Xiaosong, and you’ll not only be promoted three ranks but also rewarded with ten thousand taels of silver!”
At the mention of promotions and silver rewards—hundreds, thousands, even ten thousand taels—the three thousand river troops immediately perked up. Listless soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons, and any thoughts of mere survival were tossed to the wind.
Watching his men’s excitement, Chen Tailai mused to himself about the power of wealth to move men’s hearts. Then, hardening his expression, he barked, “Drummers! Beat the drums for morale!”
As the thunderous drums rolled, Chen’s three thousand river troops charged toward Mengyin’s gates with wild cries.
Seeing their fighting spirit, Chen couldn’t help but smile slightly, the sting of announcing the rewards fading somewhat.
True, they lacked siege equipment like scaling ladders, but Mengyin wasn’t some military stronghold—just an ordinary small county town. How could it possibly withstand a full-force assault by three thousand soldiers?
And yes, it was a full three thousand soldiers. After all, Ming Xing, the Governor of Shandong, had already promised that if they crushed Zhu Xiaosong’s rebellion, all past misdeeds—like pocketing pay for “phantom soldiers” or embezzling military funds—would be forgiven. Naturally, Chen had taken the opportunity to replenish his ranks to full strength.
What? They’d have to pay to maintain these three thousand troops afterward? Simple—just disband the old, weak, and disabled after suppressing the rebellion. Standard procedure, nothing impressive.
Chen Tailai was certain this battle was in the bag.
---
On the city walls, Zhu Xiaosong watched the chaotic charge of the three thousand river troops with a mix of amusement and grim resignation.
Mengyin was indeed no military stronghold. An ordinary small county town wouldn’t have defensive weapons like cannons or even powerful crossbows and bows.
For a town like this, three thousand soldiers could overwhelm the gates through sheer numbers.
This was the norm for most county towns—except those garrisoned by Manchu troops. After all, in the Qing dynasty, only the Manchu “masters” were considered true people. Why equip cities where mere Han “slaves” lived with cannons or heavy bows? How could the Manchu lords sleep soundly otherwise?
But Zhu Xiaosong had never planned to rely on cannons or such for defense.
From the Kangxi Emperor to the Qianlong Emperor and even the Empress Dowager Cixi, successive Qing rulers had strictly controlled firearms. While this policy helped consolidate Manchu rule, it also left the Green Standard Army with few firearms to use.
Though thousands of grenades might not be enough to bury every soldier attempting to storm the gates beneath the walls, they were more than sufficient to stop these three thousand river troops.
So, Zhu found it laughable that River Governor Chen Tailai was naive enough to think he could take Mengyin’s gates with just three thousand men.
But he couldn’t bring himself to laugh, because those three thousand soldiers were Han Chinese, just like him.
Grim-faced, Zhu hardened his heart and turned to Zhu Erdan. “Hold steady. Let them get close to the gates before detonating. And conserve the grenades—don’t scare them off completely.”
Zhu Erdan hefted a thick, black grenade and nodded. “Don’t worry, big brother. I’ve got this.”
As they spoke, the three thousand river troops surged toward the gates. From the walls, Zhu could already see the ferocity on their faces.
“Damn Manchu dogs!” he spat.
His curse became the signal for battle. Grenades, trailing smoke from their fuses, rained down on the troops below.
The Menglianggu-made grenades were an improvement over the earlier Yuhuangshan models. The old versions had required lighting the fuse with a flame, but with the addition of craftsmen from the temporary palace, the new grenades used pull-strings, eliminating the need for fire and making them usable even in wind or rain.
Of course, their explosive power was still hit-or-miss. Some might just blacken a face, and detonation times remained inconsistent.
So, as Zhu Erdan and his men hurled the grenades, some exploded mid-air, while others detonated only after hitting the ground.
With the river troops densely packed around the gates, the grenades’ lethality was magnified. After dozens were killed or wounded, the rest panicked and fled.
Promotions? Silver rewards? Who cared! No fancy uniform or pile of silver was worth their lives!
Besides, how much had Chen Tailai even paid them? Showing up at Mengyin was already going above and beyond!
And since Chen, the idiot, hadn’t set up an enforcement squad to prevent retreat, why not just run? He couldn’t punish them all—safety in numbers!
---
On the walls, even the usually unflappable Zhu Xiaosong was stunned. He hadn’t expected the river troops to match elite units, but this? They weren’t even second-rate!
Below, Chen Tailai’s face turned green.
What had he just said? First man into Mengyin gets a promotion and a hundred taels?
Now, it was a joke.
Meanwhile, Governor Ming Xing, overseeing the battle from the rear, stroked his beard and smiled.
Losing the first engagement was expected—why else would he have given Chen Tailai the “honor” of leading the charge?
With Chen’s troops routed, controlling him would be easier.
As for the dozens of wounded soldiers wailing near the gates…
Noting the thinning hail of grenades from the walls, Ming Xing smiled again and summoned his personal brigade’s commander and the Manchu infantry general.
“The river troops’ morale is broken, and the rebels are overconfident,” he said solemnly. “Attack now. Once the city falls, three days of unconstrained looting!”
The brigade commander bowed in acknowledgment, but the Manchu general licked his lips. “No prisoners?”
Ming Xing nodded. “None needed. Everything in the city is yours. I just want Zhu Xiaosong’s head.”
The general grinned and turned to his infantry. “Forward!”
As the Manchu infantry and the governor’s personal troops advanced, Chen Tailai, who had just rallied his fleeing soldiers, seethed at Ming Xing’s use of him as cannon fodder. Watching the Manchu general and brigade commander march so casually toward Mengyin, his hatred grew—but part of him hoped to see the general blown to bits.
What happened next nearly made Chen spit blood.
The Manchu infantry and the governor’s troops raised shields in unison, swiftly forming a protective canopy over their commanders.
With both forces committed, Ming Xing deployed the Green Standard Army’s eight thousand soldiers and over ten thousand militia mobilized by his prefectural underlings. A self-proclaimed master of *The Art of War* and *Thirty-Six Stratagems*, Ming Xing believed that sending waves of troops would only give the defenders time to recover. A full assault would shatter their morale.
Chen Tailai’s teeth ached.
That bastard Ming Xing hadn’t given his river troops a single shield or even a warning, yet the Manchu infantry and the governor’s troops had them? Damn it! The Manchus were “masters,” fine—but why did the governor’s men get them too? And why did the Green Standard troops get to hang back and reap rewards while he led the suicide charge?
Fuming, Chen Tailai watched the Manchu infantry, the governor’s troops, and the eight thousand Green Standard soldiers advance, silently praying Zhu Xiaosong would blow them all to hell.
He even worried whether Zhu had enough grenades.
---
Zhu Xiaosong, ever the helpful soul, wouldn’t disappoint Chen.
But first, he pondered Ming Xing’s tactics. A probing attack followed by a full assault—what stratagem was this? *The Art of War*? *Thirty-Six Stratagems*? Or Ming Xing’s own invention? Did he really think he could win in one push?
Giving up, Zhu turned to Zhu Erdan. “Light the fuses!”
Zhu Erdan pulled out a flame starter and ignited a fuse.
This was no ordinary fuse. As the saying went: *Forged in Laozi’s furnace, fanned by the Primordial天尊, twisting wind, fire, and yin-yang—today, its terror spreads on the battlefield!*
The fuse branched into dozens of others, their sparks hissing and smoking as they raced along wooden strips down the walls and toward the Qing troops.
**BOOM! BOOM!**
Explosion after explosion rocked the battlefield. Whether shielded Manchu infantry, governor’s troops, or the following Green Standard soldiers and militia, all were thrown into chaos by Zhu’s landmines.
Yet Zhu was unsatisfied. “Landmines alone aren’t enough,” he muttered. “With ‘divine machine arrows,’ it’d be perfect.”
(Note: “Divine machine arrows” were not Korean! They were a Ming-era firearm documented in Mao Yuanyi’s *Treatise on Military Preparedness*. Foreign YouTubers have tested replicas!)
His companions gaped at him.
*Not enough? Add rockets?!*
Zhu Erdan wanted to ask if his brother had been drinking on an empty stomach.
Rockets were beyond Menglianggu’s means—even the Qing court couldn’t afford them!
Amused by their stunned expressions, Zhu chuckled. “Why are you staring? Get out there and round up the prisoners!”