Chapter 4

Wei Ze's core strategy for the ambush on the Qing army's grain transport team was close-quarters combat. In this era, the quality of Chinese matchlock guns was very poor, and such low-quality, low-firing-rate matchlock guns were only possessed by Wei Ze in five units. The Qing army, on the other hand, had at least 100 matchlock guns. Attacking the enemy's strength with one's own weakness would be the most foolish choice.

Close-quarters combat was a mandatory course for modern and contemporary armies. Even during World War II, when aircraft and artillery were widely used, bayonet battles were not uncommon among the armies of various countries. Even in the Korean War, where the U.S. forces relied heavily on heavy artillery and bombs, they still engaged in bayonet battles with the Chinese People's Volunteers multiple times. In 1852, nearly 90 years before 1940, close-quarters combat was even more of a fundamental skill for modern armies. Wei Ze firmly believed in this.

Wei Ze's subordinates demonstrated excellent combat capabilities in the battle. Veteran Taiping army soldiers like Wei Changrong immediately launched a fierce slaughter upon charging into the Qing army's ranks. Even Zhang Yingchen, who was not very reliable, fought with a clumsy but far more courageous and determined style than the Qing soldiers.

As Wei Ze had anticipated, the Qing army's rear and center were stunned by the direct attack. The rear Qing soldiers discarded their matchlock guns and fled, while the center part retreated forward.

"Chase! Don't let the Qing devils escape!" Wei Ze shouted and pursued the Qing army's center. The best way to disperse the enemy's formation was undoubtedly to drive their fleeing soldiers into the center. If the fleeing soldiers rushed into the Qing army's center, it would easily create a domino effect. Unconscious group actions always have an unimaginable ability to envelop. The fleeing soldiers would drag the confused troops along, and once the Qing army's formation was completely disrupted, this group would only run for their lives in a short time. After the Qing army fled, Wei Ze could lead his men to plunder the spoils. That would be the best outcome.

Wei Changrong, with his rich combat experience, understood this well. Hearing Wei Ze's order, the soldiers did not chase the Qing soldiers who had discarded their matchlock guns and fled. Instead, they followed Wei Ze and charged towards the Qing army's center.

In the Qing army's center, the officer leading the grain transport team, a low-ranking officer named Liu, was sweating profusely and trembling before three mounted riders. These three men were of different heights and builds, but they all had one thing in common: they were wearing yellow jackets.

These three men were imperial guards assigned by the emperor to the imperial commissioner Seshang'a, who was responsible for suppressing the Taiping army. They were here because the imperial commissioner Seshang'a had ordered them to deliver a message. The Qing army had been besieging Yong'an City for over four months, engaging in dozens of battles. They had finally established two large camps to the south and north of Yong'an City, and with the deployment of other forces, they had completed the encirclement.

Under the constant urging of Emperor Xianfeng, the imperial commissioner Seshang'a had finally decided to go to the front lines to personally oversee the battle. Before leaving, he dispatched the imperial guards Kulongdu and two others to deliver a message to the northern camp of Yong'an City. The imperial guards had no prior connections with local officials, and sending them to deliver the message would also allow them to assess the situation at the front. Seshang'a had this in mind.

The imperial guards were naturally willing to go. In front of Seshang'a, they were merely guards. But once they went out, they immediately became important figures from the capital, and every local official would treat them well. According to the customs of the Qing bureaucracy, the tributes along the way would not be lacking. Moreover, delivering the message, though not a major task, was still a task. After suppressing the Taiping army, such a small deed could be counted as a merit for the guards. Since they could gain both honor and benefits, the imperial guards were "gladly willing" to comply.

However, the three imperial guards could not put on too much airs on the road. They were assigned to the grain transport team heading to the northern camp of Yong'an City, along with a small detachment of personal guards.

The officer in charge of the grain transport team was a low-ranking officer named Liu. He did not dare to neglect the three imperial guards in yellow jackets and served them very attentively. Kulongdu and the others were very satisfied and repeatedly promised to speak well of this officer to the imperial commissioner. Liu, of course, understood and respectfully handed over a sum of silver, which Kulongdu and the others gladly accepted.

The leading third-rank imperial guard, Kulongdu, was not particularly worried about the safety of this journey. As a guard to the imperial commissioner, he was well-informed about the official documents. The Qing army had deployed 50,000 troops to suppress the Taiping army, and even though many units were not at the front lines, there were still over 30,000 Qing troops in the two large camps outside Yong'an City. The official road leading to the northern camp had been strictly secured by the Qing army and should be very safe. The escort for the grain transport team included over a hundred Hunan Green Standard Army soldiers, who were quite capable. Kulongdu felt even more reassured.

As Kulongdu and the other two guards were chatting and riding along, they suddenly heard the sound of battle cries from behind. Kulongdu turned his head on horseback and, looking over the heads of the dozens of Qing soldiers walking behind him, saw a dozen men with long spears charging onto the official road. Seeing only a few people, Kulongdu did not feel particularly nervous. What first caught his attention were the white headbands and the hairstyles of the dozen men. Kulongdu had seen Taoist priests in Beijing, and his first thought was, "Are even the priests attending funerals starting to rob people on the road now?!"

The truth quickly proved that these men were not priests attending funerals but genuine bandits. Among the imperial guards, there were undoubtedly noble descendants seeking to build their credentials, but this did not mean they were incompetent. They also underwent various rigorous drills. The guards were divided into different ranks, and they had to rely on their martial skills to gain the emperor's recognition. Lower-ranking guards hoped to be promoted by the emperor through bravery or military achievements.

Seeing the Qing army's formation in disarray, Kulongdu did not feel fear or panic. Riding on horseback, he had a higher vantage point. When Wei Ze and his men charged out, Kulongdu roughly counted about twenty people. The Qing army's front and center still had at least a hundred men in disciplined formation.

With a stern face, Kulongdu ordered the officer in front of him, "Officer Liu! There are at most twenty bandits. You said you fought with General Xiang Rong and learned the skills of the chain formation from him. Now, take forty men and charge forward with the chain formation to fight the bandits! If the fleeing soldiers dare to disrupt our formation, execute them immediately. Go!"

Officer Liu, who was already preparing to lead his men forward, was stunned when he heard about executing the fleeing Qing soldiers. Kulongdu, if it were any other time, would have been furious, but with the bandits charging, he did not have time to get angry. He shouted, "With us here, what are you afraid of? If you can kill these bandits, we will support you! If you fail here, what will be your fate if we die? If we survive, do you think we will let you go?"

These words, like a lash, made Officer Liu shudder. He could no longer hesitate and, in his Hunan dialect, shouted to his already panicked subordinates, "Form up, face the enemy!" After the forty subordinates were ready, Liu shouted, "Advance fifty steps! As you move forward, shout to the fleeing brothers to take cover on the sides of the road!"

Officer Liu was not incompetent. After giving a few orders, his subordinates immediately complied. As they advanced, they shouted, "Brothers, take cover on the sides of the road!" "Brothers, take cover on the sides of the road!"

Wei Ze and his men were chasing the fleeing Qing soldiers. Hearing the shouts and seeing the orderly formation of Qing soldiers ahead, the fleeing Qing soldiers quickly moved to the sides of the road. The road, which was previously crowded with people, soon cleared out a large area. The Qing army's formation, seeing that the enemy was only about twenty men, quickly regained confidence. At Officer Liu's command, the Qing army's formation stopped advancing and began to prepare to fire their matchlock guns.

At this point, Wei Ze and his men were still about thirty meters away from the Qing army's formation.

Matchlock guns, no matter how poor their quality, were still firearms. Wei Ze's small team was armed with long spears, and no matter how brave and skilled they were, they needed to get close to the Qing army to be effective. Seeing the changes in the Qing army's formation, Wei Ze knew the battle had deviated from the original plan.

In the 21st century, Wei Ze could run 100 meters in under 12 seconds, and 30 meters in under 6 seconds. But this was just a theoretical calculation. To achieve this, Wei Ze would need a set of running shorts, a rubber track, and specialized running shoes. In reality, Wei Ze was on the "official road," which was far from flat, with a bumpy surface. Running quickly without tripping or spraining an ankle was already a challenge.

Now, Wei Ze had only two choices: either charge forward with all his might or retreat immediately. If he paused now, allowing the Qing army to calmly form up and fire their matchlock guns from a distance of thirty meters, the dozen or so Taiping army soldiers with long spears would only be slaughtered.

Running away now would certainly allow them to escape, but it would mean abandoning the hard-won situation. Who knew when the next Qing army grain transport team would arrive? Wei Ze and his men had limited supplies and could not afford to wait for days. Having the meat in their mouths and then spitting it out, Wei Ze was absolutely unwilling to do so.

If he did not want to retreat, he had to charge forward. In this split second, Wei Ze did not slow down at all. He was running at full speed and could not even shout another command.

Seeing that Wei Ze not only did not stop but was accelerating, Officer Liu's voice rose an octave in his Hunan accent, "There are only a dozen bandits, everyone, fire your guns! Fire your guns!" The Qing soldiers, urged by their officers, began to prepare to shoot. One quick-handed Qing soldier even ignited the match.

At this moment, the competition was about skill and courage. Wei Ze could see clearly that the thirty or so Qing soldiers were lined up in three rows, forming a three-stage firing formation. Behind them were another twenty or so Qing soldiers with long spears. The retreating Qing soldiers bypassed the advancing Qing soldiers and ran to the back of the formation. According to the Qing army's plan, they hoped to inflict heavy casualties on Wei Ze and his men with the three-stage firing and then have the long spear soldiers charge to finish the battle.

The shoes Wei Ze was wearing were not Nike, Adidas, Li-Ning, or 361°. But these straw shoes, which he had carefully researched and improved over a month, were reinforced with rattan and hemp. Wei Ze knew that his initial speed and fierce charge were due to these shoes. He had already killed over a dozen Qing soldiers with his spear, and his well-fitting straw shoes had played a significant role, though they were also damaged. If he continued to run, the straps of the straw shoes would definitely break.

With this concern in mind, Wei Ze's charging speed noticeably slowed. The Qing soldiers, perhaps feeling less pressure as they saw Wei Ze's speed decrease, worked faster. Loading the powder and bullets, each Qing soldier's actions put immense psychological pressure on Wei Ze.

"Damn! It's just a matter of getting my feet cut if the shoes fall off. If I run slowly, I'll lose my life. How could I be so foolish?" Wei Ze quickly realized this and no longer cared about his shoes. He used all his strength to charge towards the Qing soldiers' guns.

The front row of Qing soldiers, despite their efforts to load their guns, showed increasing signs of fear as Wei Ze approached. Finally, one Qing soldier, out of fear, dropped his powder flask. Some Qing soldiers looked up at Wei Ze, then down at their guns, repeating these actions like chickens pecking at rice. In this distracted state, the preparation of the matchlock guns completely stopped.

But there were always exceptions in the entire row of Qing soldiers. As Wei Ze charged to the front of the Qing soldiers, he saw one quick-handed Qing soldier, despite his terrified face, complete the loading of his matchlock gun. This soldier was on Wei Ze's left, with the gun's black barrel pointing straight at Wei Ze, the match glowing, and only the trigger pull remained.

Wei Ze's mind was unusually clear at this critical moment. If he tried to stab the man with his spear, it was highly likely that the Qing soldier's gun would hit Wei Ze, and Wei Ze's spear would kill the man. Wei Ze released his left hand from the spear handle, took a large step to the left, grabbed the quick-handed Qing soldier's gun barrel, and lifted it high into the air.

Bang! The dull sound of the matchlock gun rang out above Wei Ze's left head. In the end, the quick-handed Qing soldier pulled the trigger. Wei Ze's left hand and forearm were numbed by the shock. The excitement of narrowly escaping death brought only a brief sense of pleasure, followed by an uncontrollable surge of anger.

"Damn you!" With this unthinking roar, Wei Ze's ferocity erupted. Since his left hand could no longer exert force, Wei Ze let go of the spear with his right hand and drew the single-edged knife he used as a mountain cleaver. Without caring about the Qing soldier who had already fired, Wei Ze swung his right arm with all his might, and the knife brutally cut into the forehead of the Qing soldier in front of him.

The force of this blow was so great that the ordinary iron knife nearly cut off half of the Qing soldier's head. At the cut, red and white matter was clearly visible. Wei Ze kicked the now-dead Qing soldier in the chest, sending the body flying backward.

At this point, Wei Ze was only a little over half a meter from the nearest Qing soldier. The Qing soldiers, staring in shock at Wei Ze, who was so close, did not react at all. Wei Ze swung his right arm and slashed the throat of another Qing soldier. The chicken-like scream lasted only a moment before it abruptly stopped.

Then a non-human scream echoed, "Oh my God!"

This scream seemed to express the Qing soldiers' feelings, and the other Qing soldiers, one after another, let out screams and turned to run. The soldiers at the back, reacting a bit slower, were knocked off balance by the soldiers in front, and some were even knocked to the ground by the force. Like a tilted bamboo frame, the Qing soldiers bumped into each other, and the entire formation became a chaotic mess.

Wei Ze took a few steps forward, slashing left and right, and two Qing soldiers screamed and fell to the ground. Wei Ze spat in disgust. These two cuts, though large, did not fatally wound the Qing soldiers, who were bleeding profusely. It seemed he had been too agitated and lost his composure.

After calming down a bit, Wei Ze took two steps and swung his knife at the bald head of a Qing soldier. Qing soldiers in battle would tie their braids on top of their heads, and the braid on this soldier's head was not cut by the not-so-sharp iron knife but was sliced into the head. The soldier trembled as if struck by lightning and then stood still.

Seeing the knife slice into the soldier's head, Wei Ze knew the man was dead. He tried to grip his numb left hand, but the numbness remained, and his left arm could now exert force. Wei Ze let go of the knife handle, allowing the corpse with the knife in its head to fall to the ground. He then stepped on the middle of the gun on the ground, flicked it up, and caught the flying spear. He thrust it into the junction of the spine and head of a fleeing Qing soldier. A stab in this area would either be immediately fatal or result in permanent paralysis.

Wei Ze twisted the spear, enlarging the wound, and then easily pulled it back. Facing a group of bald heads in front of him, Wei Ze instantly locked onto the easiest target and thrust the spear into the junction of the spine and head again.

At this moment, Officer Liu had drawn his single-edged knife and was shouting and scaring the fleeing Qing soldiers. This effort only temporarily stopped a few soldiers around him. But then Wei Changrong and other Taiping army soldiers charged forward, and their long spears mercilessly stabbed the disorganized Qing soldiers. Amidst the screams, the Qing army's emergency force in the center collapsed.

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