nucmednet Chapter 116 Land Warfare (1)
Chapter 116 Land Warfare (1)
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On the earthen fortress, the guards took their designated positions and stood behind the concrete breastwork. Their instructions were very simple: fight to the death in their positions, do not retreat without orders, and die here even if it means death.
Although Lin San wasn't directly in command, he followed Shi Ying on patrol along the wall. He tried his best to appear calm and composed, but inwardly he was somewhat nervous. Although the government army had suffered a setback in the naval battle, its main force remained. Most of its more than ten thousand troops were elite soldiers from various standard battalions. Guangdong was renowned for its cannons, and the army certainly had many cannons. With its skilled soldiers and powerful artillery, the difference between the two was like heaven and earth compared to the first encirclement campaign he had participated in. He had no idea whether he could repel the numerically superior government army. If this counter-encirclement campaign failed, his chance to make a name for himself and rise above others would be completely lost.
Because of his hard work in training, Su Da Tui became a qualified soldier and was assigned, along with dozens of veteran guards, to the convex fort facing the government army camp, where they were tasked with the important task of receiving the government army's frontal attack.
He wiped his Patriot rifle, checked and counted the cardboard-cased lead bullets, and quietly awaited the upcoming battle, showing none of the anxiety or tension expected before a major war. He firmly believed that his master's troops would defeat the government forces.
All the artillery pieces, including the 8-pound mountain guns and the newly cast 10-pound field guns, were pushed onto the earthen bunkers and placed in temporary cement-cast gun emplacements.
All around was quiet; the entire earthen fortress was now completely silent, with no drums, horns, or human noise.
Liu Ye led his men to stand on the earthen wall, where he could clearly see soldiers pouring out of various camps and forming ranks in the distance. After the troops assembled, a signal cannon fired, and the entire army marched towards the earthen fortress. From any angle, the Ming army's formation could hardly be described as disciplined, but its imposing presence was undeniable, a dark mass pressing in on them.
The Ming army advanced more than a mile, and with a long blast of a horn, the marching column stopped two miles from the earthen fort. Archers and firearmsmen moved to the front, one row kneeling and another standing, ready to fire arrows and guns at any moment. Behind them were rows of spearmen, with shield and sword bearers on the flanks, ready to fight at any time.
The Ming army seemed as numerous as dark clouds. Liu Ye thought to himself, and couldn't help but swallow hard: "With tens of thousands of soldiers, there is no end in sight. Two or three thousand soldiers are completely different from ten thousand. Today will be a fierce battle."
He Rubin also had this premonition: the earthen walls of the bandit camp were already filled with soldiers, but not a sound could be heard from them; it was extremely quiet, as if they were ready to meet the attacking government troops head-on. This feeling made him very unhappy.
In the camp at the south gate, Qianzong He Zhanran had already prepared for the attack. His superior, Chaozhou Lieutenant General Tong Yizhen, had given him a hundred cavalrymen. He knew that his cavalry would be the vanguard to probe the enemy's camp. This was an extremely dangerous mission, because he had heard that the enemy's firearms were very powerful—the attack at sea proved the rumors to be true—this probe might very well be a one-way trip.
The hundred riders had already formed ranks, each carrying a bow and arrow, ready to approach the earthen wall and fire arrows to harass the enemy, probe their defenses, and find the weaknesses in the bandit camp.
After three blasts of the horn, he immediately raised his spear, shouted, "Kill!" and charged out on horseback, followed closely by his standard-bearer and a dozen personal guards, and then a hundred riders.
Instantly, the ground pounded with the thunder of hooves, and the shouts of battle shook the heavens. The troops from each camp roared and beat drums in celebration, their momentum astounding. A slight commotion arose atop the earthen fortress.
"Hold on, hold on." Liu Ye said to Shi Ying, "Tell the artillery not to fire, and to use rifles to shoot when they get close!"
He Zhanran's cavalry had reached the earthen wall in an instant. The enemy did not send out any cavalry or infantry to fight, nor did they even fire their firearms—if it were the Ming army, their arquebusiers would have been firing wildly when the enemy was about a hundred feet away from the earthen wall. He couldn't help but wonder, and prepared to quickly fire a volley of arrows after getting a little closer to the earthen wall before retreating.
He had just spurred his horse past the two protruding corners and, as he turned to draw his bow, "bang, bang, bang!"—gunshots rang out in his ears. Lead bullets fired from each of the two corners swept across the entire cavalry unit from both flanks simultaneously, and more than twenty riders fell instantly. Seven or eight of He Zhanran's personal guards fell from their horses, and his banner was riddled with holes. Without hesitation, he whipped his horse's rump and charged forward again.
He Rubin could see clearly that the enemy's main camp was heavily fortified. If the troops wanted to attack, they had to break through between the two protruding corners. No matter which protruding corner they attacked from the side, they would be attacked from the side and rear by the firepower of the protruding corner next to it. If they attacked the front of the protruding corner alone, the front was too narrow to deploy their troops.
So that's what the convex-angled fortress was used for. He Rubin knew that the Red Hairs built fortresses this way, and he had also heard people talk about the benefits of such fortresses, but he always had some doubts in his heart. Now he saw it for himself.
The advantage of such a fortress is truly obvious when facing an army equipped with superior firearms. The bandits' cannons haven't even fired yet, but a single volley of musket fire has already demonstrated such power, causing He Rubin to feel a secret worry. However, he didn't show any concern, maintaining a cold and serious demeanor.
He summoned Tong Yizhen and said, “General Tong, it is time for you to serve the court. You will lead the entire army to attack the enemy from the south, while General Zhao will attack from the east, forming a combined attack.”
Tong Yizhen received the order and returned to his camp. He Zhanran's troops had just returned, having lost nearly thirty riders, and many of the remaining men were also wounded.
When He Zhanran saw him arrive, he quickly came over and bowed with his hands clasped.
"No need for formalities. You and your brothers should rest for a while. You will need to serve the court later."
Tong Yizhen knew that He Zhanran was a brave general who was extremely fearless and was always the first to charge into battle, earning him the nickname "the death-defying general".
"Yes, sir," He Zhanran said, "The rebels' firearms are extremely powerful..."
"I understand." Tong Yizhen said no more. He was clad in iron armor and wore an iron helmet. He immediately mounted his horse and shouted, "Bring me the spear!"
A guard immediately handed him a long spear. He glanced at the distant camp, raised the spear, roared, spurred his horse, and charged out. His Chaozhou soldiers surged forward, while General Lei Lian and Zhao Qiansi led two thousand men to attack from the east of the county town at the same time, forming a two-pronged attack.
In an instant, the sound of drums shook the earth, and shouts of battle filled the air. Flags of all sizes covered the mountains and fields, fluttering in the wind beneath the dark clouds. In the blink of an eye, they were less than a kilometer away from the earthen fortress.