Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 713 Natural Advantage, One Man Guards the Pass

Having resolved his concerns, Li Fei did not linger on Pi Island and directly led his fleet to Lushun.

The journey from Pi Island to Lushun inevitably passes through Changshan Island and Guanglu Island, which were important islands for the Dongjiang Town garrison in the past, echoing Lushun and Jinzhou. With the successive deaths of Mao Wenlong and his successors Huang Long and Shen Shikui, the Dongjiang Town collapsed, and Changshan Island and Guanglu Island became deserted islands.

As the fleet passed by, Li Fei could clearly see through his binoculars that there were no ships anchored in the harbor and no one stationed on the islands. Only the simple, dilapidated docks and beacon towers on the shore hinted at the former glory of these islands.

According to guide Liu Xing, in order to eliminate their worries about the rear and remove the thorns in Dongjiang Town and southern Liaoning, the Tartars had attacked Jinzhou, Gaizhou, Fuzhou, and Lushunkou several times since the time of Lao Nu. These cities changed hands repeatedly, and finally all fell in the sixth year of Chongzhen's reign. After the fall of Dongjiang Town, no one from either land or sea in southern Liaoning could threaten the Tartars' flank and rear.

"Now that we're here, we can take back that statement." Li Fei gazed proudly at the sea ahead. His navy outnumbered the Dongjiang garrison's fleet tenfold, and the entire Liaonan region was within the attack range of their warships. Add to that the marines, and they could advance and retreat with ease. The Tartars would never have a peaceful day again.

Liu Xing nodded obsequiously, not saying a word, but in his heart he didn't believe it. Although he had witnessed the ferocity of the fleet's cannon fire at Nanpu Port, which was like an earthquake, the Tartars didn't have a decent navy. They wouldn't cripple themselves by fighting a naval battle. Their strength lay on land. Once ashore, it was uncertain who would win.

A few days later, the fleet arrived outside Lushun Port.

Lushun was a crucial naval port until modern times, easily defended and difficult to attack. It witnessed fierce battles during the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War, but Japan never attempted to attack Lushun by sea in either war due to its strategically important location. Later military strategists described it as: "Lushun, with its natural strategic advantage, is impregnable even by a thousand troops."

Liu Xing warned Li Fei: "Lushunkou was captured and occupied by the Tartars three years ago, and it is now Tartar territory. General Li Fei, if you want to enter Lushunkou, you must be very careful. It is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the terrain is treacherous. The Lion's Mouth between two mountains is the only waterway in and out, and it is less than a mile wide. Even a large ship like yours can only pass through one at a time. The forts on both mountains can be easily hit. In addition, there is a semi-enclosed inland sea inside, divided into east and west ports. What we see is the east port, and the west port is blocked by Tiger's Tail. Both can only be entered and exited through the Lion's Mouth. If anything happens, you will not be able to escape..."

After hearing this, Li Fei ordered the fleet to halt its advance outside the so-called "Lion's Mouth" and then use binoculars to observe the terrain ahead.

As our guide Liu Xing had described, the terrain here was indeed as formidable. There was only one 300-meter-wide channel for passage. To the right was a mountain, towering over the channel, while to the left was a curved peninsula with a dry beach at its tip extending into the sea. From a distance, it resembled a tiger's tail. This combination on both sides truly created an impregnable fortress. Moreover, gun emplacements were deployed on both the peninsula to the left and the mountainside to the right. The cannons looked quite large, far more sophisticated than those at the dilapidated Humen Forts, creating a crossfire that could inflict fatal damage on any passing ships.

He handed the binoculars to Liu Xing: "Is this the strategic spot you were talking about? What are the dry beach on the left and the mountain on the right? Has this fort always been there?"

Liu Xing carefully raised the binoculars to look, marveling, "This thing is amazing, it looks like it's right in front of me even from so far away..."

Silva patted Liu Xing on the back with displeasure, reminding him, "My boss told you to look at the mountains on both sides, not to look at a peep show."

Liu Xing, realizing what was happening, suppressed his excitement and curiosity, and after examining the area, told Li Fei, "Replying to General Murong, that's Golden Mountain on the right and Tiger's Tail on the left. These two places are like the gatekeepers of Lushun, impregnable by a single man. This fort was established during the Yongle era, and there was originally a naval camp inside, established during the Hongwu era. Next to the naval camp on land is Lushun Fort, which was originally Lushun Post Station and belonged to Jinzhou Guard. Now it's all occupied by the Tartars."

Li Fei looked thoughtfully at the forts on Golden Hill and Tiger Tail and asked, "Is there any way to bypass the forts and attack Lushun Fortress by landing on the side instead of entering from here?"

Liu Xing replied, "It's not that it's impossible, but to the right we have to go around Golden Mountain and cross White Jade Mountain, while to the left we have to cross Old Iron Mountain. No matter which way we go, the land route is very difficult. By the time we get to Lushun Fort after crossing mountains and valleys, we'll be exhausted..."

After careful consideration, Li Fei finally made a decision: "Since it is very difficult to attack by land, let's attack directly by sea. Order the fleet to form a battle line and move from north to south to destroy the forts at Golden Hill and Tiger Tail. Then, use small boats to send the marines to Lushun Fort and launch the attack by land."

Silva couldn't help but ask, "Boss, why is the fleet attacking from the outside? Why not just charge in and attack Port Arthur with naval guns?"

Li Fei pointed to the harbor and said, “See this narrow channel? If it were the Shandong, it could only accommodate one ship at a time, otherwise it would easily collide. The other Wuyi-class warships wouldn’t fare much better; a few more would likely result in a collision. Moreover, according to Liu Xing, it’s surrounded by the Tiger Tail peninsula, forming an inland sea. As long as this one route is passable, if the Tartars block the Lion’s Mouth channel with sunken ships after we enter, we’ll be trapped. Although the possibility is small, I can’t let the fleet take that risk.”

Silva thought about it and realized it was indeed possible, nodding repeatedly: "The fleet really shouldn't have risked going in, boss, you've thought it through too well."

Li Fei shouted, "Where is Borchu?"

Upon hearing the sound, Borhu came over and asked, "What are your orders, Master?" Since Li Fei's identity had been revealed, Borhu, as a trusted subordinate who had always followed him, could finally openly address Li Fei as "Master" instead of using titles like "Young Master" or "Captain" to conceal his true intentions. Li Fei, showing no favoritism, appointed him as the Marine Corps Captain.

"After I destroy the forts on both sides, you will lead the marines into the harbor in shallow-draft boats, land and attack Lushun Fort. Before nightfall, you must render Lushun Fort incapable of resistance."

Borchu responded loudly, "Yes, sir. I guarantee I will complete the mission."