Chapter 7: White Armor

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Everyone in the pavilion felt desolate, and Qi Tianliang silently patted Ma Ming's shoulder, unsure of what to say, leaving only a long sigh.

Shi desperately fled towards the gate, when suddenly she let out a blood-curdling scream, followed by a spray of blood, and fell heavily to the ground. Behind her appeared a horse, revealing the armored knight of the Later Jin, his face twisted in a triumphant and sinister grin, particularly jarring to behold

Without exception, these five individuals are all short and stocky, skilled in equestrianism, especially that silver-armored knight, whose horsemanship has reached an incredible level. He controls the horse while loudly mocking those on the platform, shouting something in an incomprehensible tongue, exuding an air of arrogance.

Wang Dou's heart and mind were as calm as the ancient well, waiting for the white-armored cavalry to charge in. Closer, even closer, one hundred paces, ninety paces, eighty paces, seventy paces, now is the moment

Wang Dou silently opened the large bow in his hands, slowly drawing the bowstring back, quietly watching the white-armored cavalry charging towards him once again. The large Shao Kaiyuan bow he held was a hard bow passed down through generations; his ancestor Wang Hu had once used this bow to fight in battles across the south and north. The bow's power reached an impressive strength of two stones, and the long arrows fitted on the bowstring were specially made heavy iron-tipped arrows.

Suddenly, a horse let out a cry: "It's Er Ya, oh heavens, oh heavens, how could she encounter the Tartars..."

Ma Ming also knows that it is impossible to save his wife, and he can only weep in despair.

Suddenly, several piercing screams echoed, and everyone inside the platform hurried to look outside. It turned out that those soldiers from the Later Jin were riding back and forth, hacking at the common people. It seemed that these soldiers had had enough of their amusement and were finally ready to take action

Wang Dou and Han Chao, the two brothers, descended from the soft ladder to the platform and arrived at the suspended building by the wall. At that moment, Jia Chang and Zhong Dayong, among others, were still in a state of shock, but everyone was relieved that they had escaped quickly. After a while, Zhong Dayong called out: "Is everyone, both people and livestock, accounted for in the platform? Is there anyone who hasn't returned?"

Outside, there are a total of 5 soldiers from the Later Jin, each riding two horses. Among them, two are clad in cotton armor studded with copper nails, with a helmet topped by a spike resembling a lightning rod, and wielding finely forged iron sickles. Another two wear bright helmets and dark armor; one of them has a black tassel on the helmet and carries a two-foot square flag on his back, holding a tiger spear in hand. The most striking is a Later Jin knight dressed in shining iron armor, with a long red tassel on his iron helmet, a pointed flag inserted diagonally on his back, and even his horse is covered in cotton armor, while he wields a long-handled iron cleaver.

He then bowed deeply several times.

The horse named Ma had a mournful expression, and his voice was somewhat choked: "This afternoon while plowing the field, my wife said she wanted to return to Dongjiazhuang to see the children, so she didn't stay with me. She... she... she must still be on the road now, I hope she doesn't encounter the Tatars"

The common people, both men and women, young and old, were all in a state of panic, crying out with expressions of utter despair on their faces. The few cavalrymen from the Later Jin seemed to be playing a game of cat and mouse, not in a hurry to strike, but rather galloping back and forth with a howl, continuously driving these men and women towards Jingbiandong.

Ma Ming cried out loudly, his fists striking the wall in front of him with great force, continuing to hit until his hands were bloodied and bruised, yet he remained oblivious to his condition

Everyone looked over, and indeed, the woman fleeing from the crowd was none other than the wife of Ma Ming, Shi. At this moment, her hair was disheveled, and her shoes were nowhere to be seen. She was running straight towards Dun, crying out in a sorrowful voice: "Master, please save me..."

The horse desperately shouted: "Er Ya, Er Ya!"

He shouted to Han Zhong: "Second brother, set off the firecrackers, light the fuses, and raise the yellow flag!"

The several troops of the Later Jin rushed forward, circling around the Jingbian Mound, flaunting their power and loudly mocking those on the mound. They whipped the surrounding common people, and with the force of their horses, each lash tore away pieces of clothing and flesh. In particular, the Shi family was beaten to a bloody pulp.

Ma Ming knelt down and desperately pleaded with Zhong Dayong, who remained silent with a grim expression. The others in the courtyard also remained silent.

The terrifying sound of gongs echoed incessantly in various places, and at that moment, the military and civilians outside hurriedly gathered their livestock and desperately fled back to the nearest fortress. Those working near Jingbian Dune, including Zhong Dayong, Ma Ming, Qi Tianliang, and several women, also hurriedly picked up their burdens and drove their cattle back into Jingbian Dune.

The cries of despair and desolation from the common people outside the mound were heart-wrenching, especially the shouts of the Shi family, which were particularly painful to hear. Inside the mound, everyone wore a grim expression.

Upon hearing his words, everyone in the platform turned pale, and a glimmer of brilliance flashed in Wang Dou's eyes

Everyone hurriedly looked over and indeed saw several plumes of smoke and dust rising from the northwest, growing larger and larger. Following that, a series of howls and cries, resembling those of wild beasts, echoed through the air. Amidst the smoke and dust, several cavalrymen from the Later Jin appeared before the crowd, while around them, more than a dozen citizens of the Ming Dynasty were running in panic in all directions.

The man in the white armor of the Later Jin was struck by an arrow near his right shoulder, and the force of the shot was so great that it knocked him off his horse, causing him to fall heavily to the ground. The impact of the arrow left him with half of his soul and spirit lost, primarily due to a feeling of humiliation and anger. He had roamed across the vast territories of the Ming Dynasty, yet he never expected to meet his downfall at this small firewood platform. It seems that the Southern Dynasty is not without its defenders, and he truly underestimated the situation.

He called out to Zhong Da, "Zhong Tou, quickly open the door and let Er Ya in, it will be too late if we delay!"

Wang Dou silently gazed at the bodies of the common people outside the mound, with blood splattered everywhere on the ground, especially the remains of the Shi family victims in the distance, which were so strikingly vivid.

Han Chao carefully observed: "With the sound of a cannon, a plume of smoke rises. It seems that there are fewer than one hundred Tartars, and it should not exceed twenty people!"

Han Chao shook his head: "These Tartars always turn at a distance of sixty paces, the chances of victory are slim"

He was indeed brave; gritting his teeth, he got up and broke the arrow shaft with a swift motion. At this moment, several other soldiers from the Later Jin also noticed the situation here. Without caring to continue attacking the surrounding Ming civilians, they hurriedly rode over to surround the area, helping the Later Jin soldier in white armor to a relatively safer position behind them

Everyone at Zhonghe Books was hurriedly counting the number of people, and indeed, they did not see the figure of Ma Ming's wife, Shi.

Zhong Dayong angrily said: "What are you talking about? What if the barbarians take the opportunity to rush in? Our wives and children are all here."

Sensing the unusual behavior of Zhong Da and others, the old man and several villagers became uneasy

In the army of the Later Jin, soldiers were primarily divided into three ranks: the Guard Soldiers, the Infantry Armored, and the Cavalry Armored. Ordinary Jurchen men began participating in examinations at the age of ten, taking the test every three years. Those who met the standards became Guard Soldiers, followed by Infantry Armored, and then Cavalry Armored. The Cavalry Armored were selected from the best within their ranks, referred to as "Lingcui" by the Han people. The top rank among the Cavalry Armored was known as "Dai Zi," also called "Fen De Bo Shi Ku," which corresponds to the later Manchu elite cavalry known as the "Xiao Qi Xiao." The rank of "Fen De Bo Shi Ku" was held by the "Niu Lu Zhang Jing," who was the leader of three hundred soldiers in one Niu Lu of the Later Jin.

In the army of the Later Jin, the more outstanding soldiers were selected to serve as the Hongbai Yala troops and the Baibai Yala troops, which were the precursors to the Manchu Imperial Guards and the Vanguard Battalion in later times. A single Later Jin Niu Lu consisted of only a few dozen Hongbai Yala soldiers and a little over a dozen Baibai Yala soldiers

Wang Douquan clenched his fist, calming his mind as he carefully observed the several cavalrymen of the Later Jin.

Everyone in the suspended building had a grim expression. Suddenly, Qi Tianliang shouted, "Look, the Tartars are coming!"

After a while, Dun Junma exclaimed: "My wife has not returned yet"

Ma Ming suddenly jumped up and shouted outside the mound: "Er Ya, run quickly, run quickly!"

They chattered in Hu language for a while, while the one with the flag on his back, Bo Shiku, stayed behind to take care of and command. The other three galloped in with a whistle, shooting several willow-leaf heavy arrows around the mound gate. Wang Dou and Han Zhao Han Zhong continued to shoot from the suspended building, and both sides exchanged fire for a while. The few soldiers from the Later Jin, seeing that they could not gain any advantage, let out a whistle, each changing horses, and amidst the rolling smoke and dust, they quickly vanished without a trace, leaving only a few corpses of the Ming citizens on the ground. Wang Dou and Han Zhao Han Zhong continued to shoot from the suspended building, and both sides exchanged fire for a while. The few soldiers from the Later Jin, seeing that they could not gain any advantage, let out a whistle, each changing horses, and amidst the rolling smoke and dust, they quickly vanished without a trace, leaving only a few corpses of the Ming citizens on the ground.

Han Zhong said resentfully: "Brother, the Tartars are too rampant, do we have any confidence in shooting him with an arrow?"

Zhong Dayong quickly realized this. He, supporting his plump belly, asked the old man: "From your accent, it seems you are not a local. Where are you from?"

He glanced into the distance, where each pier and fortress was completely still, indicating that no Ming soldiers dared to emerge and ambush this group of Manchu invaders

Wang Dou was waiting calmly, his thumb gently pressing on his middle finger, with a brass finger ring above his thumb. ... Observing Wang Dou's demeanor, everyone in the suspended building couldn't help but look at him. What is Wang Dou planning to do? Even the Han and Chao brothers inside the platform were unsure if they could hit that Tatar, does Wang Dou have that confidence?

Zhong Dayu casually uttered an "mm," as he stroked his sparse beard, seemingly lost in thought. His pair of narrow eyes flickered over the old man and several surviving townsfolk, a fleeting glint of malice passing through. Yang Tong, who was beside him, glanced at his expression and also shifted his gaze to the old man.

The cavalry in silver armor from the Later Jin charged towards the Dunmen, letting out a strange cry. After a loud shout, they proudly turned their horses around and repeated this back and forth several times

Wang Douxin felt a deep sorrow; Shi was a good woman who had always been kind to him in the village. Just yesterday, she was well, and today she has become a cold corpse. In this world, human life is as cheap as grass. At this moment, he was worried about Xie Xiuniang and his mother, who were in the village... Shouldn't they be fine?

Wang Dou observed that these several common people were dressed in tattered clothes, their faces pale, and their expressions filled with the terror of having survived a disaster. However, judging by their accents, they did not seem to be locals from the Baoguan area

The old man wept and said: "We came from the Huailai area, our hometown has suffered a disaster, and has been plundered by the Tartars. We truly cannot survive any longer, and can only seek refuge with relatives in Weizhou. Unexpectedly, today we encountered Tartar soldiers again. Fortunately, there were military officers to rescue us; otherwise, we would have all died here today!"

Soon, with a loud bang from the cannon at Jingbian Dune, a thick plume of smoke shot straight up into the sky. Han Chao also struck the drum vigorously, conveying information to those at the edge of the dune. The message was passed from one person to another, and quickly, the signal fire from Dongjiazhuang Fort, located ten miles south of Jingbian Dune, was also lit. Following that, the cannon at Chafang Dune fired, sending the message even further to Shunxiang Fort.

The calm voice of Han Chao came through: "There are five cavalry soldiers, ten horses, two infantry armored soldiers, one cavalry armored soldier, one leader, and one white armored soldier, all of them are tough opponents, the chances of victory in battle are not great."

With a loud shout, Wang Dou drew his bow like a full moon, and with a "whoosh!" sound, the white-armored cavalryman of the Later Jin had only enough time to dodge the vital points before being shot off his horse by Wang Dou's arrow

Zhong Dayu let out a dry laugh and said, "I did not expect Brother Wang to possess such skills. Today, you have bravely diminished the morale of the Tartars, and I will request merit for you from the superior!"

At this moment, everyone in the group looked at Wang Dou with different eyes. Yang Tong touched his mouth where he had lost a front tooth, and his expression towards Wang Dou was filled with fear. Han Zhong opened his mouth wide and gave Wang Dou a thumbs up, while Han Chao also nodded at Wang Dou in a friendly manner

Although there are only 5 Jin soldiers in front of us, each one is an elite warrior, especially that Bai Baiya soldier, who is the cream of the crop. Inside the stronghold, there are only Wang Dou and the three Han brothers with combat capability; the rest are women and the weak, making the odds of victory quite slim. Given the current situation of the people inside the stronghold, being able to defend themselves is already commendable, and forcing them to engage in battle would only lead to certain death.

At this moment, several surviving villagers timidly gathered around the pier. A few of them fell to the ground, weeping over several corpses. Among them was an old man, over fifty years old, with a face full of sorrow. He led a few people to express their gratitude to Major Zhong: "Thank you, military officer, for saving our lives. This great kindness and virtue, the old man will never forget!"

On the ground outside the pier, Ma Ming wept bitterly while holding his wife's lifeless body, as the onlookers silently watched, with a few women occasionally offering him gentle words of comfort

Everyone on the suspended building involuntarily exclaimed in admiration. Not to mention Zhong Da and the others, even Han Chao and his brother Han Zhong were astonished as they looked towards Wang Dou. This Wang Dou... actually possesses such remarkable archery skills

... ...