lcionline Chapter 387 The Rebels' End
Chapter 387 The Rebels' End
Liu Ye thought about it more and more and felt it was feasible. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Thanks to you guys for reminding me, I've come up with a solution!" As he spoke, he walked out, leaving Lin Shiyue and Shimazu Chiyo looking at each other in bewilderment.
In the central command tent, Zhu Dadian watched Liu Ye return and repeated, "Raise the cannons and exchange fire with the city."
“That’s right,” Liu Ye explained excitedly. “Our army also has Hongyi cannons, whose range and power are no less than those of the rebels. The only problem is that we can’t attack the city from below, while the rebels can take advantage of the height of the city walls to attack us with impunity. If we can set up the cannons on high ground, level with the city walls, we can exchange fire with the rebels’ cannons, or even attack the city directly, which will greatly damage the rebels’ morale.”
Zhu Dadian couldn't help but nod, stroking his beard as he said, "That makes sense." It was precisely because of the threat of the rebels' cannons that the Ming army hesitated when attacking the city, which is why Dengzhou City could not be captured for so long. If the threat of the enemy's cannons could be contained, then the siege would be much easier.
"However, the length and weight of the Hongyi cannon cannot be contained by a narrow earthen and stone wall that is only a dozen paces wide. A gun emplacement must be built in a suitable location to house the cannon, and the foundation must be tamped and reinforced to prevent the wall from collapsing when the cannon is fired." Liu Ye continued to refine this proposal.
"Excellent! This way, the arrogance of the rebels can be quelled." Zhu Dadian, who was usually unsmiling, couldn't help but laugh heartily this time. It was understandable; the suppression of the rebellion was nearing its end, just one final push away. If Dengzhou were successfully recaptured, the entire campaign would be complete, and he, as the commander-in-chief, would naturally achieve great success. If the rebels held them out outside the city for months, the Emperor would blame them, and all their previous achievements would likely be for naught.
Looking at Liu Ye, who offered such a good strategy, Zhu Dadian found him increasingly pleasing. This man knew how to be respectful to his superiors, was adept at training troops and fighting, and was skilled in both interpersonal relationships and practical matters. Even if he wasn't one of his direct subordinates, he was worth cultivating, considering it a good connection. With the Ming Dynasty currently engulfed in war and the world in turmoil, capable military commanders like him were highly sought after. Perhaps one day, when Zhu Dadian became a commander-in-chief to suppress bandits or fight the Tartars, he could command this army. Given their past relationship during this rebellion, commanding them would be much smoother.
Following this line of thinking, Zhu Dadian was about to hand over the task of building the fort to Xia Tiannan and give him the credit. He had just opened his mouth to say, "The construction of the fort will be done by..." when he was interrupted by Gao Qiqian.
“Lord Zhu, leave the fighting to the military officers, and leave these trivial matters to me. I guarantee I’ll handle them perfectly.”
Zhu Dadian and Liu Ye stared wide-eyed at Gao Qiqian, who was clearly trying to steal the credit! Normally, it was Liu Ye who proposed the plan to build the fort, and no one would object to his execution. But for a high-ranking eunuch to lower himself to try and take the credit was something Liu Ye couldn't possibly win against.
Zhu Dadian looked at it for a long time and realized that Gao Qiqian was serious, so he had no choice but to reluctantly agree: "Since Eunuch Gao is willing to condescend to do these trivial things, then thank you for your trouble."
Gao Qiqian replied smugly, "We're all doing our duty for the Emperor. No job is inherently superior or inferior. I just want to do something to quell the rebellion!" Gao Qiqian prided himself on being "knowledgeable in military affairs," often trying to portray himself as a military strategist and a skilled fighter in front of Emperor Chongzhen. However, this was all just talk; he had never actually fought a battle. Building fortifications like this didn't involve the risks of war; it was a ready-made achievement. He could then bombard Dengzhou, and once it was recaptured, he could use that to glorify himself. This was the story of "Gao the Eunuch bombards Dengzhou, Kong Youde's army is defeated and the city surrenders."
Liu Ye smiled helplessly. Although this credit was just icing on the cake for him, no one would complain about having too much credit, and it was still very unpleasant to have it stolen by a dead eunuch. But what could he do? At present, he was no match for a eunuch of that level, so he could only swallow his anger.
Motivated by the promise of merit and fame, Gao Qiqian worked with great enthusiasm. After inspecting and comparing various locations, he chose Guabang Mountain (south of present-day Penglai City) near the south gate of Dengzhou as the site for the fort. Within ten days, he had built a fort as tall and wide as the Dengzhou city wall, its base constructed entirely of bluestone, making it exceptionally sturdy. Gao Qiqian was very proud of his masterpiece, naming the fort "Gun City," and transported all ten or so large cannons from his army there to engage the city in firefights.
From then on, the thunderous sound of cannons echoed through the sky every day without ceasing. With the "cannon city" in place, the once carefree Dengzhou City was now within range of the Hongyi cannons. Many military camps and civilian houses collapsed under the bombardment, resulting in countless casualties. The soldiers and civilians in the city were plunged into panic. Under the pressure of the rebel army, the local people, who dared not speak out against their anger, gradually began to become restless. Beset by internal and external troubles, an atmosphere of impending storm enveloped the entire Dengzhou City.
The Dengzhou Governor's Office.
Amid the thunderous roar of cannons, the rebel leaders gathered to discuss their next move.
Li Jiucheng's death was a heavy blow to the rebel army. Not only did the morale of ordinary soldiers plummet, but the core of the rebel army was also left leaderless. Kong Youde was completely unable to control the situation. Apart from the support of veterans from Liaodong such as Wang Zideng, Li Jiucheng's son Li Yingyuan and others completely disobeyed his command. Under these circumstances, every decision the rebel army made had to be discussed by everyone, and no one could directly issue orders.
Originally, the rebels could have held out by taking advantage of the fortified city and powerful cannons, and the conflict had not yet erupted. However, once the "gun fortress" was built and the cannons were fired in unison, the rebels lost their last resort. In addition, food was becoming increasingly scarce in the city, and it was no longer realistic to continue to hold out. No one was willing to live or die with Dengzhou City. The rebel generals were left with only two options: surrender the city or escape through the north gate.
The first path, surrender, was extremely risky. Since their uprising, the rebels had repeatedly manipulated the imperial court under the pretext of appeasement. First, they used Sun Yuanhua's offer of amnesty to advance on Dengzhou without bloodshed, then, with the help of internal and external forces, they captured the city. Later, they feigned acceptance of amnesty at the gates of Laizhou, luring and killing the Laizhou prefect Zhu Wannian and the then-governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou, Xie Lian, and nearly storming the city. The story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" has been told so many times that no one believes it anymore.
Wang Zideng put it even more bluntly: "We have repeatedly tricked the court before. Even if we are willing to accept the pacification now, I'm afraid no one would dare to take the risk. Zhu Dadian is not Xie Lian. He is very cunning and will not risk his career. Moreover, he is now confident of victory and will never choose to be pacified."
This was something that neither Kong Youde nor Li Yingyuan could deny. Therefore, everyone agreed that this path was blocked, and there was only one option left: abandon the city and flee!