Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 205 Violent Grain Requisition (Part 1)

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Li Ergou had never encountered such an arrogant tycoon before. He was so angry that he turned to Su Tuigu and said, "Brother Su, it's all up to you now."

Su nodded and ordered, "Everyone, prepare for battle." The soldiers took off their rifles, opened their ammunition bags, and prepared to load ammunition.

The Qiongzhou Battalion recruited many prisoners of war from the government forces, who were then dispersed and placed in various companies, with the former guards serving as the core, and the experienced soldiers mentoring the new recruits. These kinds of missions served as practical combat training for the soldiers, allowing them to gain experience and quickly integrate the new recruits, who were originally prisoners of war, into the Qiongzhou Battalion's combat system.

Su Da Tui did not participate in the Battle of Changhua, and the mission in Chengmai was contracted to the special forces. He attached great importance to this mission. From a military perspective, Huangjiazhuang was said to have many able-bodied men who had received some training, making it a very suitable training ground.

This time, the grain mobilization operation in the countryside involved only infantry; no artillery company was deployed. Everyone thought that using artillery to deal with a local tyrant was overkill, and that rifles and bayonets would suffice.

Seeing the soldiers outside the wall take out their muskets, the people inside became slightly nervous and shouted, "They're going to use real weapons! They've even brandished their muskets! Quickly inform the manor lord!"

A line of soldiers formed a battle formation, and Su gave his final warning: "You have one incense stick's time to open the gate, or you will face the consequences."

Huang Renying rushed over, but after hearing the warning, she dismissed it and encouraged her clansmen: "They're just bluffing. They would never dare to actually do anything. The Ming Dynasty still upholds the law."

He glanced at the soldiers lined up outside the manor and sneered repeatedly: "They really have no brains. Using public resources for private gain like this, don't they care about their ugly behavior? We have scholars and licentiates in our manor. I want to see if you dare to openly attack this manor."

Outside the manor, Su Tui was waiting for the countdown. Although it didn't have to be the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, giving the other party time to buffer and consider was still necessary. It would be best to resolve the issue without bloodshed.

At that moment, with a "whoosh," an arrow flew over. A soldier couldn't dodge in time and was hit squarely in the shoulder. He screamed, his arm went limp, and his rifle fell to the ground.

A cheer erupted from the top of the wall, celebrating their initial victory. Huang Renying stroked his beard with satisfaction. From a military perspective, this was a battle between two armies, where the first step was to seize the initiative.

Su Da's eyes widened in disbelief; he couldn't believe the other side dared to launch a preemptive attack. The Qiongzhou Camp had fought countless battles, large and small, since its days as a guard unit, against increasingly stronger opponents, from Li ethnic minority soldiers to garrison troops, and then to elite battalions. They had won every single one, becoming a force to be reckoned with throughout Guangdong. And this country bumpkin, who had trained some able-bodied men, dared to provoke them? This was an insult to the Qiongzhou Camp! If he hadn't razed this village, he would have no face to return to Lingao and face the general.

He didn't care about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and shouted the order: "The enemy has launched an attack! Everyone, aim at the wall and fire!"

The soldiers raised their rifles, already loaded with ammunition, aimed at the wall, and opened fire. Many of the young men peering over the wall were hit; the archer who had stood up to shoot was struck twice in the chest and abdomen, collapsing headfirst from the wall. The cheers on the wall abruptly ceased, replaced by terrified cries and groans of agony.

Huang Renying was taken aback, never expecting the enemy's muskets to be so sharp. Having lived in the countryside for a long time, and with limited access to information in this era, he had only vaguely heard about the battles between the Qiongzhou garrison and government troops, but he always thought it was an exaggeration, like storytellers always portraying powerful figures as having three heads and six arms, invulnerable to swords and spears. He never imagined that he would be beaten so badly in a single encounter that he couldn't even lift his head.

He shouted, “Don’t be afraid, everyone. Just hide behind the wall and don’t look up. No matter how powerful their muskets are, they can’t penetrate the wall.”

Without his command, everyone had already huddled behind the wall, no longer daring to look up.

Through the smoke, Su Chutui saw that no one was peeking out from the top of the wall, and ordered: "Cease fire, everyone, charge together and take the earthen wall."

The soldiers slung their rifles over their backs and formed a human wall to climb the earthen wall. The wall wasn't very high, only about a head taller than a normal person, but climbing it without tools still took some effort.

A dozen soldiers stood on their comrades' shoulders, gripped the top of the wall, and used their arm strength to climb over.

At that moment, someone shouted from behind the wall: "Poke them down!"

A dozen or so spears shot out, aimed at the soldiers. The soldiers, who were preparing to scale the wall, were powerless to resist. Each spear thrust sent them tumbling down, though thankfully, the height was low enough that they wouldn't sustain serious injuries.

The soldiers never expected that after weathering so many storms, they would suffer such a setback in this rural earthen fortress. Their anger flared, and they climbed the wall one after another, ignoring the spears thrust at them.

Unfortunately, fighting spirit cannot change reality. A platoon of only 50 soldiers had no way to break through the defense of more than 100 people, and the soldiers were still being pushed off the wall one after another.

As more and more people were injured, Su Tui was extremely anxious. He didn't have many men, and if they were all injured, how could he fight? He took a few steps back, roared, and ran over. He pushed off the shoulders of the soldiers, leaped up, braced himself with his hands on the top of the wall, and landed inside the wall.

The crowd inside the wall panicked when they saw someone rushing up. One of them shouted, "He's the only one coming up here, stab him to death!"

Several spears came flying at him. Su took a few steps back to avoid them, took out his rifle, and parried the attacks from both sides. Seizing an opening, he suddenly thrust forward, knocking down a strong young man.

The man who had been stabbed screamed in agony, falling backward to the ground, blood gushing from the wounds in his chest and abdomen; he was clearly going to die. The others, however, were instead filled with righteous indignation and charged forward, brandishing their spears.

Thanks to his exceptionally rigorous training, Su Datui's assassination skills were among the best in the Qiongzhou Camp, but that didn't mean he could take on ten men at once. Under the attack of more than a dozen spears, Su Datui managed to stab another man, but he was forced to retreat to the wall, struggling to defend himself and unable to find another opportunity to strike.

However, because he attracted the siege of more than a dozen strong young men, a gap appeared in the defense of this section of the earthen wall, and soon soldiers jumped in, one, two, three... more and more.

Several soldiers who jumped down first quickly formed a combat team shoulder to shoulder with their platoon leader. The thrusting of three to five men quickly suppressed the chaotic attack of a dozen or so young men.

After a breach was torn in the earthen wall, the hole grew larger and larger, and all the uninjured soldiers climbed onto the wall, turning the situation into a battle between forty men and more than a hundred.