lcionline Chapter 115 Preparation
Chapter 115 Preparation
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He Rubin asked Tang Yunwen, "How far is this place from Lingao? What kind of place is this?"
"Reporting to the garrison commander, it's still eighty li away," Tang Yunwen said, bowing slightly on horseback as he glanced around. "This place is called Stone Mountain."
He Rubin glanced at the small hill, about a hundred paces from the post road. It was a good spot to control the road. If the bandits were to ambush him here, he would have to fight a fierce battle to get through. However, the scouts had already checked and there were no ambushes.
"After all, they are pirates, and they know nothing about warfare on land," He Rubin commented. "If a camp were set up here and guarded, our army would have to take this mountain first before we could continue our advance."
Those around him echoed, "What you say is absolutely right, sir."
"This terrain is crucial. Set up a grain depot here," He Rubin instructed.
Supplying provisions for over ten thousand people was of paramount importance. The most convenient sea route was impassable due to the enemy's large ships and powerful cannons, while land transport was always extremely difficult, regardless of distance, especially given the appalling condition of the post roads in Hainan. Relying on conscripted laborers to carry and push carts for hundreds of miles to deliver supplies was incredibly difficult. Therefore, the Ming army adopted a system of setting up supply depots at various points and transferring provisions layer by layer.
The rocky mountain offered certain geographical advantages, and the route was convenient, making it one of the best locations to establish a grain transport depot. He Rubin immediately ordered a centurion to lead five hundred soldiers to set up camp there, establish a grain depot, and be responsible for transporting grain. This would not only ensure a continuous supply of provisions to the army but also guarantee the safety of his rear.
With no bandits harassing them along the way, the army arrived at Lingao smoothly. Upon reaching the former site of Lingao County, He Rubin was astonished to find that the city walls had vanished, replaced by neat, square houses, seemingly built of brick and stone. The arrival of the army terrified the city's inhabitants, who remained indoors. In those days, soldiers were more terrifying than bandits.
"Lingao is in such a state, and the magistrate actually concealed it?" He Rubin was so angry that he blew his beard and glared. The city's defenses had been completely destroyed. Bandits could come and go as they pleased. How was this any different from the city falling into enemy hands?
What angered him most was that without city defenses to rely on, it was as if there was no way to retreat. He lost the room to maneuver with the bandits and had no choice but to take Bofu in one fell swoop.
Since the county town was no longer worth garrisoning, the only option was to advance closer to Bofu and set up camp in the open, at least allowing them to establish defensive fortifications. However, not garrisoning the county town did not mean they would not demand provisions and supplies from the county for their army. The army entered the town in batches, and chaos ensued. The town was filled with shouts, pleas, screams, and cries of pain. Some homes were broken into by soldiers who ransacked them for valuables, while others saw women being assaulted. The town was in complete disarray, with the cries of the people and the shouts and curses of the soldiers rising and falling in waves.
The county magistrate refused to see anyone, and with no one in charge, the county magistrate and the clerk dared not provoke the imperial army. The soldiers practically ransacked the county, but no one dared to stop them. It was only when He Rubin realized that a major battle was imminent and things were about to escalate further that order was restored. He immediately ordered a trusted general with several dozen personal guards to patrol the city with his command token. They executed several robbers and murderers in the streets, finally restoring order.
After their demands for supplies were met, the army left Lingao County and headed straight for Bofu. It was nearly dusk, and the army set up camp ten miles from Bofu, preparing for the great battle the next day.
Between Bofu and Lingao County, on a hastily constructed earthen "bastion," the guards were making final preparations: all the artillery pieces were being loaded onto the cement-poured "walls"—including lightweight 8-pound mountain guns and newly-made 10-pound field guns—and a thousand guards armed with Patriot rifles were evenly distributed at various prominent corners. Shi Ying and Lin San were assigning troops and artillery to each point, and distributing three hundred of their most experienced soldiers to various locations to prevent any point from becoming a breakthrough point for the government troops due to insufficient combat experience or weak firepower.
Liu Ye, Liang Xiaoming, Yan Guang, and others all took up residence in the "bastion." Whether it was the first encirclement and suppression by the local government troops or this encirclement and suppression by the Guangdong army, it was a life-or-death battle they could not afford to lose. Although they could choose not to come to the front line of battle, if the guard team was defeated, their survival would be meaningless. Moreover, the fact that the leaders advanced and retreated with the guard team could boost morale.
The next day, the government troops broke camp and headed straight for Bofu. Countless troops, countless flags, the clanging of armor, the sound of soldiers' footsteps, and the fluttering of flags in the wind, all surged toward the earthen fortress like a great tide.
As the sun rose in the east, its rays shone upon the rolling army approaching from the east, making their armor and spear tips gleam. The sounds of war drums and horns rang out intermittently. More than ten thousand men arrived around the earthen fortress, occupying the surrounding open spaces and hilltops, setting up palisades and placing artillery. The entire army established three camps, with long trenches dug around them.
Although Liu Ye and Liang Xiaoming rationally knew that the Ming army, being a medieval force, could not possibly defeat a modern armed guard, and the rest of the group was confident in their muskets and cannons, everyone's face was grave as they watched the massive army surge forward, banners waving, and swords and spears flying everywhere. Some even felt dizzy.
He Rubin, along with his staff and generals, climbed a hill and took out a telescope he had bought in Macau to look towards the bandit camp.
About four miles away, the camp was surrounded by an earthen wall more than two people high. The shape of the camp was not round or square, but rather had many large, pointed corners. He didn't understand the purpose of these protruding corners surrounding the entire camp, but he knew that the Red-haired Yi people of Dayuan also built their forts in this way.
The top of the earthen wall appeared to be made of stone, but it was a single, solid structure, unlike stone. Many tall towers, constructed of scaffolding, stood there, with figures moving about on them; these were likely sentry posts used for observing the surrounding area. The entire camp was surrounded by moats, making its defenses extremely tight.
Judging from the size of the camp, the bandits couldn't possibly number more than two thousand men, and He Rubin breathed a sigh of relief. Compared to the one-sided naval battle, the vast disparity in troop strength on land gave him immense confidence.
After careful observation, He Rubin couldn't discern any weaknesses in the bandit camp. He knew that the upcoming battle would be a tough nut to crack, and heavy losses were inevitable. However, once this camp was breached, the campaign would end—this force likely comprised all of the bandits' land forces. Their tactics were nothing more than a defensive strategy of holding a fortified position with firearms, nothing unexpected. However, the fact that they had set up camp with their backs to the sea, putting themselves in a desperate situation, left him wondering whether they were simply pirates unfamiliar with land warfare or had ulterior motives.