Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 303 The Thin Red Thread

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Although Matos and Totaro were not part of the core of the Zheng Group, they were Zheng Zhilong's "private army," elite men who were completely under his command. Most importantly, he didn't need to worry about these two betraying him.

Matos and Totaro approached him, both dressed in Portuguese attire. Except for Totaro, who had two swords at his waist, they were dressed as European soldiers.

Both guard units were armed and trained in the style of European armies. They placed particular emphasis on matchlock musket shooting, and their accuracy and range were top-notch. Zheng Zhilong believed that his ability to fight was largely due to having these two units at his disposal.

“A powerful enemy is about to attack this place,” Zheng Zhilong said. “You two assemble the team and stay by my side to receive my orders.”

"Aren't we going out to meet the enemy, General?" Matos had been in the Ming Dynasty for several years and could speak Chinese very well.

"Of course we must fight, but you are my sharpest weapons, and I will save them for crucial moments."

“Yes, General.” Matos offered no further objection.

Zheng Zhilong ordered silver to be brought, distributing twenty taels to each of the guards, with Matos and Toru each receiving one hundred taels. This silver was an extra reward for these two guard units, in addition to the previously promised bonuses. These two guard units were essentially Zheng Zhilong's personal retainers, though not Ming soldiers; they were mercenaries fed silver. Although Zheng Zhilong spoke openly, he had secretly made two preparations. If the city ultimately couldn't be held, he would rely on these two guard units to cover his retreat; he couldn't possibly stay in the city and perish with the Qiongzhou camp.

The main force of the Qiongzhou Battalion, the First and Second Battalions, had already assembled on the beach. Apart from each sending an infantry company to support Anping, both battalions were fully equipped and manned. The battalion artillery company was also there, but due to transportation difficulties, they did not carry heavier field guns, but rather lighter mountain guns.

Shi Ying was appointed as the commander of the attack on Suocheng. Standing in front of a square formation of nearly two thousand men, he gave a pre-battle mobilization speech: "Gentlemen, ahead lies Zheng Zhilong's lair. Our naval brothers have already defeated Zheng Zhilong's navy. Now it's our land force's turn to shine. Do you have the confidence to take down Qianhu Suocheng?"

Nearly two thousand people shouted in unison, "Yes!"

Shi Ying drew his battalion-level officer's sword and slashed forward forcefully: "All troops, advance!"

Zhongzuo Fortress was less than 6 meters high, constructed with traditional Chinese brick and stone walls. Being a garrison town, the walls were not thick or wide, offering little resistance to artillery fire, and lacked defensive fortifications such as watchtowers. Standing atop the fortress, Zheng Zhilong watched through his binoculars the orderly column of soldiers landing in front of the Hulishan Fortress. His newly formed courage wavered. There were probably two thousand men, and they appeared to be a well-trained and highly skilled elite force. If, as the Qiongzhou Camp boasted, they could defeat tens of thousands of troops with a thousand men, his few thousand land soldiers would likely be in serious trouble.

To determine whether the enemy was truly that powerful, Zheng Zhilong looked around and asked, "The bandits are closing in. Who can go out of the city to meet them and dampen their morale?"

One man stepped forward and declared loudly, "This subordinate is willing to go and meet the enemy."

Zheng Zhilong looked closely and recognized him as Lin Sheng, a subordinate who had followed him for many years. He also had a younger brother named Lin Cha. The two were skilled in the Ground-Treading Knife Technique and had made great contributions in various battles assisting the imperial court in suppressing bandits. The so-called Ground-Treading Knife Technique combines tumbling and rolling movements to target the enemy's lower body. It may look unseemly, but it is very practical, and it is similar in principle to the seemingly drunken and mad Drunken Boxing.

Zheng Zhilong hesitated for a moment. When Liu Ye visited Zhongzuo, he said that their muskets could fire continuously for a short time and could fire higher than the matchlock guns of the Zheng family. Could the Lin brothers, Lin Sheng and Lin Cha, get close to such a firearms-equipped unit?

Lin Sheng noticed his hesitation and continued, "Is the Great Leader worried about the enemy's powerful firearms? I have another plan: use rattan shields to shield ourselves, quickly close the distance, and then use the ground-sweeping sword technique to specifically target the musketeers' lower body. This will surely throw the enemy into disarray, and then the main army in the city will swarm in, and the enemy will undoubtedly be defeated!"

Lin Cha also stepped forward to support his brother's suggestion: "Please give the order, Chief."

"Alright, then you two brothers will go first." Zheng Zhilong had no better idea and agreed to their request. "But don't be reckless. If things don't go well, retreat as soon as possible!"

The Lin brothers, Lin Sheng and Lin Cha, were eager to try and clasped their hands in greeting, saying, "As you command!"

Zheng Zhilong shouted to his men, "Bring wine! I'm here to send off the two Generals Lin!"

After drinking the farewell wine, Zheng Zhilong ordered his men to reward each of their subordinates with five taels of silver as encouragement for the vanguard. The two men led eight hundred men out of the city gate and headed to meet the Qiongzhou camp's troops.

The route from the beach to Zhongzuo Fortress was basically a straight line with no obstructions, making it easy to see what was happening on both sides. As soon as Lin Sheng and Lin Cha's troops left the city gates, they were spotted by the Qiongzhou camp.

Shi Ying peered at the opposing force through his monoculars. It seemed they had no firearms, only a broadsword and a rattan shield. He asked Xu Yifan beside him in confusion, "Battalion Commander Xu Yifan, what are they up to?"

Xu Yifan had participated in several battles to suppress bandits and was familiar with these rattan shield soldiers. He smiled and said, "I heard that Zheng Zhilong also has musketeers, but I'm afraid he's reluctant to use them easily. Are they just cannon fodder to test us?"

Shi Ying looked ahead with disdain: "Swords and knives are no different from bare hands in front of our rifles. Zheng Zhilong underestimates us too much."

Despite their disdain, the necessary battle preparations could not be neglected. The Qiongzhou camp slowed down its march and prepared for battle.

"First Battalion, listen up! The artillery company, the 9th, 8th, and 7th companies, stand by as reserves. The remaining companies, from column to double-line formation!" After giving the order, Shi Ying said to Xu Yifan, "Let's give this first battle to you, brother. When we attack Suocheng later, let the 2nd Battalion lead the charge, how about that?"

Xu Yifan smiled and said, "Very good."

Five infantry companies formed long, double-row lines, rifles at level, awaiting the enemy's arrival. This seemingly simple double-row formation was actually a tactic borrowed by Liang Xiaoming from the British army and adopted by the Qiongzhou Battalion. This tactic originated in the Crimean War when the British 93rd Hill Infantry Regiment fought against Russian cavalry, becoming world-famous. At that time, the British used two long, thin lines, instead of the traditional square hollow formation, to block and defeat Russian cavalry that outnumbered them several times over.

The British commander ordered his soldiers to form a line to meet the enemy and die where they stood. A journalist accompanying the army, on a nearby hill, witnessed the entire battle and described the scene: there was nothing between the Russian cavalry and the British infantry line, only "a thin strip of red cloth and a straight line of steel." The British soldiers, dressed in red uniforms, appeared from a distance as a thin red stripe. After the battle broke out, the numerically superior Russian cavalry repeatedly tried to break through this line, but were repelled by a hail of bullets and ultimately forced to flee.

This is the "thin red line" tactic familiar to military enthusiasts. Besides superior weaponry, it also demonstrates the exceptional combat skills and iron discipline of the British infantry. The quality and discipline of the Qiongzhou Battalion were naturally far superior to the scattered and disorganized soldiers of the Zheng family. If the British could deal with the Russian cavalry, then 500 Qiongzhou Battalion infantrymen could certainly handle 800 rattan shield soldiers.