lcionline Chapter 535 "Flying Kites"
Chapter 535 "Flying Kites"
The cavalry battalion aimed at the pursuing bandits and pulled the triggers of their pistols. A burst of gunfire rang out, and thousands of pistols formed a dense barrage. The running bandits seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall. Amidst the mournful cries of their warhorses, men and horses fell to the ground, and the momentum of their charge came to a halt.
After firing three short guns' worth of lead bullets, the cavalry battalion turned around and ran away without hesitation.
Kong Lianshun was so angry he felt like he was going to vomit blood. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Chase after them and kill them! Seize all those pistols!"
After being dazed by the hail of bullets, the bandits regained their senses and resumed their pursuit.
As it turned out, this musket version of the "Mangudai" tactic was unsolvable, at least for Kong Lianshun and his men. Most bandits only had melee attack capabilities, and even if they had bows, the advanced skill of "mounted archery" was beyond the reach of these country bumpkins. Without a means of ranged attacks to counter their opponents, they were constantly on the run and had no effective way to kill their enemies while being kited like flies.
The bandits finally caught up with their opponents again, only to be met with a hail of lead bullets. Leaving behind over a hundred more corpses, the bandits dared not pursue any further. Ignoring Kong Lianshun's orders, they turned and fled. They were just thieves, not a disciplined army; they sought only petty riches, not military merit. Faced with an insurmountable obstacle, not to be outdone, running away would have been foolish. Kong Lianshun had no choice but to retreat with the main force.
These times, even though the cavalry soldiers were not very skilled at using muskets, even though their accuracy while shooting from horseback was average, and even though the cavalry formation was much looser than that of the infantry, in the face of the firepower of more than a thousand short muskets, the bandits suffered about five hundred casualties in a short period of time, with casualties approaching 30%. In the era of cold weapons, this casualty ratio was considered very high.
With such heavy casualties while the enemy suffered no losses, the bandits saw no hope of victory and completely lost their fighting spirit; their retreat turned into a rout. Ma Wei was also surprised by how effective the tactics taught by General Liang were when combined with short guns. He was overjoyed and led his cavalry battalion in pursuit, hoping to wipe out this band of nearly two thousand bandits in one fell swoop, giving his cavalry battalion a resounding victory and making a name for themselves in one battle.
Although the bandits had lost all will to fight, they weren't completely out of their minds. They knew that being scattered would be even more dangerous; they would either be picked off one by one by the pursuers or captured by the government. They had blood on their hands and were notorious in Dengzhou and Laizhou. They dared not be alone. A lone cavalryman, whether captured by the government or surrounded by the people, would be doomed. A farmer's hoe could kill them. During their escape, they tried their best not to fall behind. As long as they got rid of these government troops, they could become kings on another mountain and make a comeback.
The cavalry's mobility was astonishing; the pursuit quickly carried them from Laizhou into Qingzhou territory. Neither side knew what lay ahead, nor that immense danger was closing in on them.
Guangzhou Port.
The towering sails stood on the shore, and the large wedding procession boarded the ship under the protection of the Qionghai Navy soldiers, without any further incidents.
Gou Ergui's hands were bound, but his feet could still walk. He was dragged onto the ship by Japanese samurai and thrown into a corner of the deck. He lowered his head, leaned against the ship's side, pretending to resign himself to his fate, and tightened his grip on the ropes.
It took about half an hour for everyone to board the ships. The sails of each ship were raised, the anchors were lowered, and they sailed away from the dock.
After feeling a tremor, Gou Ergui noticed the sun moving overhead, realizing the ship had left the shore. If he returned to Lingao like this, he would surely die. But if he could break the ropes and jump into the sea, perhaps he could find a way out.
After the massive ship turned around, its sails billowed in the wind, and it began to accelerate. Gou Ergui quickened his movements; if he waited until he reached the middle of the sea, he would only be able to gaze at the vast horizon in despair, eventually succumbing to exhaustion and dying.
Just as the entire fleet was about to leave the port, Gou Ergui finally broke the thick hemp rope. Ignoring the blood dripping from his blistered fingers, he nimbly climbed onto the ship's side and jumped off amidst the gasps of the surrounding Japanese samurai.
With a splash, a spray of water rose from the sea, and Gou Ergui disappeared into the water, never to be seen again.
The Japanese samurai lay on the side of the ship, peering down, but after a long time they didn't see him emerge, and they looked at each other in bewilderment.
At the bow of the ship, Shimazu Chiyo, who stood in the wind holding her katana, was furious upon hearing her subordinate's report.
"Baka! You bunch of useless trash! You can't even keep an eye on a prisoner who's all tied up!" She raised her scabbard and swung it at them one by one. None of the warriors dared to dodge, and they all took the blows with gritted teeth, ending up with bruises and swelling on their faces.
"If this assassin has accomplices, and your negligence has allowed others to escape and endanger our lord's safety, then you shall all commit seppuku to atone for your sins!" Shimazu Chiyo glared hatefully at the samurai kneeling on the deck.
The warriors lowered their heads and responded in unison, "Hai!"
Fortunately, apart from the assassin escaping, nothing else happened, and the fleet arrived safely at Bopu Port.
Compared to Guangzhou, the people of Lingao paid much more attention to and were more enthusiastic about this wedding. The people of Guangzhou were merely watching the spectacle; to them, Pingnan Bo was just a powerful military leader to talk about over tea. But to the people of Lingao, Pingnan Bo was their benefactor who led them out of poverty and onto the road to a better life, and a guardian deity protecting the peace of the entire Lingao and Qiongzhou Prefecture. In the eyes of the immigrants, Pingnan Bo was a living bodhisattva who saved them from dire straits.
At Bofu Wharf, in addition to a large number of Qionghai naval soldiers responsible for maintaining order, countless maritime merchants, shopkeepers, unloading laborers, boatmen, and courtesans all stopped their business and work to watch the wedding procession.
Today, to celebrate the wedding of the Earl of Pingnan, the customs office is closed for a day, and for three days, all taxes and fees for merchant ships entering and leaving the port are waived—a cause for universal celebration. The merchants, naturally delighted to be exempt from substantial taxes, did nothing but bring their men to the dock to see the bride. With the merchants idle, the laborers unloading cargo also had nothing to do and joined in the festivities.
The courtesans had no heart for entertaining customers today. They leaned against the attic and windows, gazing enviously at the massive wedding procession descending from the boat and the lively scene around them. Although most of them, even if they left the brothel, would find it difficult to have a happy ending, being a concubine would be a blessing, it didn't stop them from fantasizing about the grand wedding before them—how wonderful it would be if they were the bride in the bridal sedan chair! They wondered which family's daughter would be so fortunate as to marry the wealthy and powerful Marquis of Pingnan.