Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 335 "Heavenly Army"

The second day of the twelfth month of the ninth year of Chongzhen (December 29, 1636).

The cold wind of Huanghaidao swirled with fine snow, lashing against the low earthen walls of Haizhou.

Jin Dahuan, a soldier on the city wall, shrank his neck and squinted at the gray, misty outside the city.

Since the news of the Qing cavalry's capture of Uiju broke out more than ten days ago, the entire west coast of Korea has been on edge.

Yesterday, there were even rumors that the Qing invaders had captured Gaegyeong (present-day Kaesong, North Korea) and then swarmed across the frozen Han River to attack the capital, Seoul.

At this time, the entire Korean kingdom was probably in a state of panic and unease.

The entire Haixi Protectorate has been placed under martial law, and the city gates of Haizhou are tightly closed, with everyone on high alert.

In addition to mobilizing local militia (i.e., local standing troops) to strengthen military preparedness, the Protectorate General also conscripted a large number of militia and civilians to deal with the possible invasion of the Qing army.

In the countryside, farmers stayed indoors, fearing the gods and Buddhas, and prayed for blessings.

Even the fishermen fishing on the coast were ordered to drag all their fishing boats ashore and lay them upside down in the snow like a row of dead sea turtles.

No one expected that the Qing invaders would actually launch a war of aggression against Korea. More than 100,000 cavalrymen surged in like a tidal wave, submerging one major port city after another and crushing one Korean army after another in their resistance.

The Qing army's attack was so fast that it caught all the Koreans off guard.

On November 12 (December 9), the Qing forces reached the banks of the Yalu River, and in less than five days, they captured Uiju.

On the seventh day, Anzhou fell again.

On the ninth day, they descended upon Pyongyang again.

Now, the Qing army may have already reached the Han River, and the capital, Seoul, is in imminent danger.

So, will they spare some troops to attack Haizhou?
As he was lost in thought, Jin Dahuan seemed to sense something and subconsciously looked up again in the direction outside the city.

Suddenly, his pupils contracted sharply, and his heartbeat almost stopped.

Outside the city, an army was seen slowly approaching, its formation extremely orderly, treading on a thin layer of snow.

Amidst the snow and mist, a dazzling red five-star flag fluttered in the wind, standing out prominently against the gray sky.

"Enemy attack!... The barbarians are coming!"

Jin Dahuan's desperate shouts shattered the silence on the city wall like thunder, instantly waking the entire section of the wall.

Park Chang-ho, the city gate commander, didn't even have time to put on his helmet before stumbling up the city wall. He saw that the troops had already advanced to about 150 paces in front of the city and were beginning to organize their forces, seemingly preparing for an attack.

The soldiers of this army had neither the distinctive rat-tail braids of the Qing invaders nor the uniforms of the Korean Five Guards. Their iron armor gleamed coldly in the snow, and they stood menacingly in the wilderness, carrying muskets equipped with guns and swords on their shoulders.

"Fire the arrows! Fire the arrows now..." Park Chang-ho roared in terror, his voice sharp and trembling.

“Sir…” A military officer hesitated, a helpless expression on his face.

At such a great distance, how could the arrows possibly harm the enemy in the slightest?

“Sir, they don’t seem…like the Qing barbarians,” another military officer said cautiously.

"Huh?" Park Chang-ho paused for a moment, then leaned on the battlements and squinted to look carefully outside the city.

At this moment, a soldier emerged from the military formation outside the city, carrying a white flag, and slowly walked towards the city.

"I am Zhang Erhu, a junior officer under General Shen Shikui of Dongjiang Town of the Great Ming Dynasty, from Pi Island. Is there any Korean garrison general on the city wall who would like to speak with me?" The man's voice clearly reached the ears of everyone on the city wall.

"Hmm, the imperial army of the Celestial Empire?" Park Chang-ho's face immediately lit up with surprise, as if he had grasped a lifeline.

"My lord, my lord..." However, a knowledgeable military officer whispered a reminder, "My lord, their attire suggests they are not the Ming Dynasty's official army."

Upon hearing this, Park Chang-ho's heart sank, and the hope that had just risen was instantly replaced by doubt.

Everyone was also horrified.

Indeed, this army is too strange.

The musket's design resembled the Ming army's arquebus, but it was equipped with a rare musket sword.

The armor resembles the armor worn by border troops, but the breastplate on the chest gleams with a cold, mercury-like light (likely an improvement on Western plate armor).

The most suspicious thing was that red five-star flag.

Did the Ming Dynasty have an army that recognized flags?

"Could it be... Qing soldiers in disguise?" someone asked in a trembling voice.

Park Chang-ho's heart skipped a beat. He immediately clung to the city wall and shouted down, "If you are the imperial army of the Celestial Dynasty, do you have official seals and military tallies? Why are you dressed so strangely? And why have you suddenly come to the gates of Haizhou?"

Zhang Erhu calmly replied, "This time, our army is on General Shen's orders to rush to Korea's aid and resist the Qing invaders. Due to the long journey and many unforeseen events along the way, our uniforms have been changed. I hope the general will not misunderstand. Now the Qing invaders are powerful, and Korea is in imminent danger. Our army is willing to join hands with your army to fight the enemy. I wonder what the general's opinion is?" Park Chang-ho hesitated for a moment, still having doubts: "Words are not enough. Is there any written proof?"

Zhang Erhu pulled a document from his pocket and held it high: "General, please take a look. This is General Shen's order..."

Suddenly, a muffled thunderous sound of hooves came from the distant snow curtain, causing the army to stir.

A moment later, the sound of muskets firing like popping beans came from behind the formation, along with a cacophony of shouts and cries of battle.

Standing on the city wall, one could vaguely see a group of armored cavalry, numbering several dozen, suddenly emerge from the woods on the flank and charge straight at the rear of the "Ming army".

Immediately, a chorus of gunfire erupted from the Ming army's ranks, and several cavalrymen fell instantly as they swept past.

What surprised the imperial troops on the city wall even more was that the muskets fired in three volleys. Before the flames had died down, the rear ranks stepped forward and fired again. Their movements were fluid and efficient, causing the cavalry to flee in panic.

"A three-stage volley?!" a North Korean military officer exclaimed in surprise. "But why are they reloading so quickly?"

After only a few exchanges, the cavalry unit was routed and retreated.

A moment later, a knight who looked like an officer rode out of the ranks of the "Ming army" with a bloody, mangled human head in his hand. As he rode to the city of Haizhou, he swung his arm and threw the head up.

"what!"

"Oh dear, they're Qing barbarians!"

Behind that hideous head, there was a hideous little rat tail braid!
"Brothers of Haizhou City, listen up!" The mounted "Ming Army" officer took the official document from Zhang Erhu, tied a stone to a cowhide, and hurled it into the air toward the city wall. "Upon learning of the Qing invaders' invasion of Korea, our Dongjiang Town of the Great Ming Dynasty has ordered my troops to rush here by boat overnight to rescue our vassal state."

"If you don't believe me, take a good look at General Shen's military orders!"

Hmph, even if you want General Huanglong's official documents, I can still produce them for you.

On the city wall, Park Chang-ho picked up the document, opened it, and examined it carefully.

The handwriting on the document was neat and powerful, and it was prominently stamped with the official seal of Shen Shikui, the deputy commander of Dongjiang Town.

The seal was clearly identifiable, and everything seemed flawless, but his doubts remained.

Just then, a soldier rushed over: "Reporting, the Protector-General has arrived!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Protector-General Cui Chengyan, Deputy Protector-General Li Chenghuan, and Judge Jin Xianggui led a group of officials from the Protectorate General's Office up the steps to the city tower, all of them with a look of fear on their faces.

"What's the situation down below the city walls?" Cui Chengyan carefully moved to the top of the battlements and peered out. "Could it be the Qing invaders... coming to attack?"

Park Chang-ho knelt down and kowtowed several times to the officials of the Protectorate General, then recounted the events that had just occurred to Choi Sung-yeon in detail.

“Since they are the imperial army of the Celestial Empire and have official documents from General Shen of Dongjiang, why don’t you open the city gates immediately and let the Celestial Army in?” Cui Chengyan said urgently, “If the Qing barbarians send another large force of cavalry to attack, wouldn’t that put the Celestial Army in a dangerous situation?”

“My lord, there are still doubts about the identities of the Heavenly Army outside the city…” Park Chang-ho said with difficulty.

"But are they Qing barbarians in disguise?" Cui Chengyan asked in a trembling voice.

"It seems...not like it."

"Where did they come from?"

"This humble general is unaware..."

"Useless!" Cui Chengyan angrily rebuked, "Since you can't identify it from the city wall, then go down to the city and investigate carefully."

"Huh?" Park Chang-ho was shocked and looked at his superior with a bewildered expression.

"Hmm?" Cui Chengyan glared at him. "Does he intend for me to go down into the city and investigate?"

"..." Park Chang-ho swallowed hard, nodded with difficulty, and replied, "This subordinate... obeys!"

"The Heavenly Army has cannons!..."

At this moment, several Korean soldiers on the city wall pointed down and exclaimed in surprise.

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw the "Ming army" outside the city driving several packhorses and dragging four or five cannons to the front of the battle.

They stopped about an arrow's length from the city wall, and a group of gunners and laborers began to busily set up the artillery positions.

They skillfully set up the cannons, moved the shells, and cleaned the barrels, their movements methodical and orderly. In just a few moments, the dark muzzles of the cannons were pointed directly at the city walls, as if they could spew deadly flames at any moment.

“My lord…” Park Chang-ho looked at the dark cannons outside the city, pointing directly at the city walls, and felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He was startled and turned to look at Protector-General Choi Sung-eon, his voice changing, “It seems they are about to attack the city!”

Cui Chengyan's face was deathly pale, the veins on his forehead throbbed, and his lips trembled but he could not utter a word.

The city walls were deathly silent, with only the howling wind carrying a suffocating tension.

Below the city, within the mysterious "Ming army" ranks, someone raised a red flag, waving it slowly in the wind and snow, as if summoning death...
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(End of this chapter)