Chapter 617 - The Suppression Campaign Strategy
"The Fubo Army wasn't born from any established military tradition," He Ming said, struggling to find the right words. "It's an army without history, without lineage. It lacks..." He paused, searching. "A soul."
"I think Young Wei's political education program is going quite well—"
"That's not what I mean." He Ming shook his head. "You've served as a soldier yourself. You should understand. The Fubo Army's organizational structure, its tactics—even Wei Aiwen's political education—all of it was designed and imposed by us. No matter how well-drilled these men become, they remain merely an 'armed force.' Only an army that has spilled blood on real battlefields, that has fought and bled together, can forge its own soul."
"You're overthinking this."
"Am I?" He Ming gave a rueful laugh. "Every resource this group has painstakingly accumulated over three years has suddenly been placed in my hands. How can I not be afraid?"
Victory in this battle was a foregone conclusion—the technological and temporal advantages were simply too vast. But the slightest setback would turn parliamentary opinion against him. Wu De understood his thinking perfectly.
"The question is whether the road renovation can be completed before the fighting actually starts."
"Of course it can't be finished in time. We'll extend it as far as possible. Every additional meter toward Qiongshan County reduces our logistical burden. Besides, the ultimate purpose of building roads is for governance," He Ming replied.
"If the enemy truly delays as long as some predict—with the Ming forces not attacking until October—this road might actually reach Qiongshan County city."
"We shouldn't count on that. The Ming forces may well arrive earlier. Better to overestimate the enemy," He Ming cautioned.
The Planning Institute had evaluated the proposal for road construction beyond their territory. According to estimates from the General Staff and Foreign Intelligence Bureau, Chengmai itself lacked the strength to resist cross-border construction. Simply renovating the existing post road would neither disturb local residents nor conflict with their interests. On the contrary, the construction teams could expand Australian influence by hiring local laborers and purchasing materials locally.
The officials in Chengmai County would hardly welcome such activity, but neither would they organize resistance. Everyone knew that leading a few hundred village militia and garrison soldiers against the Australians would be suicide. Chengmai's officials would simply report the situation to their superiors and otherwise turn a blind eye—not unwilling to act, but unable.
Any local gentry foolish enough to make trouble could be eliminated outright as a demonstration of power.
The real constraints were materials and manpower, Wu De reflected, having worked his abacus half the day. From Lingao to Qiongshan was roughly one hundred kilometers. Even building to minimal road standards using only human labor would take at least two years. With mechanical equipment, perhaps six months. The war likely couldn't wait that long.
Of course, road construction had never been solely about warfare. Since they intended to genuinely control the entire island, this road would need to be built eventually. Better sooner than later. Only with roads could they speak of regional control. The road effect was already evident in Lingao—wherever the transmigrator regime's roads reached, government orders flowed smoothly.
Today marked the fifth day of the fifth month—the Duanwu Festival—when dragon boat races filled the Pearl River. Excitement reigned inside and outside the city walls. Even in the Little Ice Age's Guangzhou, the weather during Duanwu remained cool enough for lined jackets.
The Governor-General's yamen stood under heavy guard. Governor Li Fengjie's grand sedan chair entered first through a side gate. Subsequently, civil and military officials arrived one after another: Regional Commander He Rubin, Provincial Inspector Gao Shunqing, the Guangdong Provincial Administration Commissioner, the Haibei Circuit Intendant, the Hainan Circuit Intendant, and the Guangzhou Prefect.
Beyond the main hall of the Governor-General's yamen, past one courtyard, lay the second hall. Besides its central chamber, the second hall contained side rooms designated for meetings and private discussions.
Wang Zunde occupied the western side chamber, conferring secretly with Guangdong's principal officials about military matters. That suppressing the short-haired pirates at Bopu would require the province's full strength had already become consensus.
Once all principal officials had assembled, Wang Zunde opened the proceedings. Having committed himself to military action, he had already held multiple private discussions with provincial officials and roughly achieved agreement.
The Provincial Administration Commissioner had already consented to advance twenty thousand taels of silver for repairs to weapons and ships and for initial marching expenses. The remaining funds would be addressed later.
"Today we discuss the urgent matter of suppressing these pirates. The short-hairs have occupied Bopu, privately opened a trading port, constructed fortifications, and recruited local traitors as soldiers. Their power has grown formidable. I hear they possess iron ships and rapid-firing cannons, and their firearms are devastating. If left unchecked, they will certainly become a grave threat to all of Guangdong Province. I invite each of you to share your insights: how do we drive the short-haired pirates from Qiongzhou?"
The officials exchanged glances. All had heard something of the Australians in Lingao. Their firearms and iron ships were legendary. On the whole, except for Inspector Gao and Regional Commander He, none harbored enthusiasm for confronting the Australians directly.
The Australians had caused no trouble along the Guangdong coast—no killing, no plundering, no arson. They conducted business properly. Their several establishments in Guangzhou city were impeccably behaved, never failing to provide the customary gifts for the three annual festivals and two seasonal greetings, occasionally presenting novel Australian items as well. As for Zhiming Tower, it was a favorite haunt where many had sampled "Australian secret pleasures."
Now, to drive them out and suppress them—some actually felt a twinge of reluctance. Moreover, some believed Governor-General Wang was stirring up unnecessary conflict. The imperial forces might not match the Australians. If things went wrong and they suffered defeat, they might instead provoke the Australians into wreaking havoc along the coast.
But since Wang Zunde had made up his mind, no one would contradict him openly. Some were already calculating other matters—once the Australians were driven out, how to divide up the properties they would leave behind.
After all, the Australians maintained not only three businesses in Guangzhou, but reportedly manufactured many Australian goods in Lingao. They had also privately opened a trading port at Bopu. How much wealth must there be in Lingao!
After winning the battle, the Australians couldn't possibly take all their belongings when they fled. Everyone would benefit.
Gao Shunqing most emphatically supported the Governor-General's decision. He had always despised these overseas visitors. He had originally wanted to drive out the Portuguese, let alone these Australians of unknown origin.
He cleared his throat. "These so-called Australians have never been seen offering tribute in past years, nor are they Western or Eastern barbarians. Even the red-haired Dutch and the Portuguese don't know their origin. They peddle nothing but clever gadgets and toys, corrupting the hearts of gentry and commoners alike. Such creatures have secretly become a canker in the heart of our Guangdong Province!"
Everyone murmured agreement. But no one had any practical idea how to actually drive out the Australians.
Regarding the Australians' specific situation in Lingao, apart from a few dispatches from Qiongya Regional Vice Commander Tang Yunwen, everyone knew only scattered rumors: that they claimed descent from Song survivors of Yashan; that they were skilled craftsmen; and so forth. Even Vice Commander Tang's dispatches said only that the Australians had built gun emplacements at Bopu with giant cannons; that they possessed iron fast ships that moved without sails or oars, as if flying. Also, that many "traitorous Fujian and Guangdong people" had joined as "false short-hairs" to serve as their vanguard.
Beyond this, no one knew how many people the short-haired pirates had in Lingao, how many cannons, how the great iron ships moved. No one even knew how many false short-hairs there were.
However, Wang Zunde had received dispatches from the Fujian and Guangdong coasts. He knew that after Zhu Cailao's defeat and death, a contingent of men and ships had defected to Lingao. Subsequently, scattered remnants from various pirate groups had also fled there. All told, there should be over ten thousand.
"The true and false short-hairs in Lingao total over ten thousand," He Rubin said. "They also possess cannons and iron ships. Suppression will not be easy."
As a military officer, He Rubin could only offer suggestions on operational strategy, not make decisions. But since he would actually execute military operations, his views carried weight.
LĂĽ Yizhong quickly spoke up. "The false short-hairs merely seek petty profits from the short-haired pirates. If the Governor issues a proclamation explaining the dangers of following rebels, then when the imperial army moves, the false short-hairs will naturally scatter. They pose no threat."
"Hmph, this matter may not be as simple as the Advisor suggests," He Rubin countered. "Most false short-hairs are remnants of pirates like Zhu Cailao—men who've already staked their lives on the seas. Now they've joined forces with the short-haired pirates. The short-haired pirates can sail iron ships across ten thousand miles of waves—clearly men skilled with boats. These two groups are in league. If we cannot destroy them in one blow and they scatter, our Guangdong waters will never know peace again!"
"The short-haired pirates aren't like ordinary pirates, who only seek money. The Australians call themselves descendants of China. Having come to the Great Ming, they neither send envoys to pay court tribute nor submit petitions seeking incorporation. In one corner of Lingao, they privately build city walls and recruit drifters—they clearly harbor disloyal intentions!" His tone grew stern, immediately placing a heavy political label on the Australians.
"General Yinzhi."
He Rubin quickly rose, hands clasped, and bowed. "I dare not, Your Excellency."
"You hold the court's hereditary commandery and are numbered among the provincial military officers. This Governor has always relied on you as Guangdong's Great Wall. For suppressing the short-haired pirates, what strategy do you propose?"
He Rubin bowed respectfully and answered: "In this humble officer's view, suppression faces three difficulties."
"Which three?"
"First, false short-hairs are indistinguishable from true short-hairs. During the Jiajing era's wokou troubles, there were also true and false wokou. True wokou were only one or two in ten, yet they still ravaged the coasts for decades, becoming a major threat to the court."
"Mm." Wang Zunde nodded.
"Second, the short-haired pirates in the Guangdong area have taken in drifters and conducted fair trade—neither robbing merchants nor seizing ships—quite effective at winning hearts. Once our troops move, traitorous commoners among the rebels will certainly inform them. Military secrets will be hard to protect."
"A fair point."
"Third, the short-haired pirates possess strong ships and sharp cannons, and their firearms are formidable. Our army cannot compare. In this humble officer's view, I fear they surpass even the red-haired Dutch and the Portuguese."
Wang Zunde stroked his beard and smiled. "What strategy does the General propose?"
"I dare not presume, Your Excellency." He became even more deferential. "Your Excellency's divine calculations surely include a strategy for pacifying the short-hairs. Please reveal your plan."
"At today's meeting, speak freely and withhold nothing."
"As you command."
He Rubin's strategy differed little from what LĂĽ Yizhong had envisioned. The Australians held the advantage in ships and cannons. Sending merely a few thousand men and a hundred-odd ships to make a show of force wouldn't compel them to withdraw. Heavy forces were essential.
A combined land and sea army of twenty thousand was required, with at least six thousand combat troops. They must bring abundant firearms, especially red-barbarian cannons.
"The enemy excels with boats and has gathered remnants of various pirate groups. Our forces absolutely must not engage them in naval battle on the open sea." He Rubin lacked a naval background, but he clearly understood the provincial navy's capabilities. Never mind the great iron ships and fast iron vessels—even fighting against the red-haired Dutch's great two-masted ships, they would be outmatched. Without fireships, they simply couldn't oppose the enemy.
In his strategy, the Guangdong navy would handle only transport, ferrying participating troops in batches to Haikou Garrison, with the entire army concentrating at Qiongshan County.
"Although the Australians are powerful, they haven't yet captured even a single county seat. This suggests they lack skill at land warfare. If we advance with heavy land forces, we can achieve double the results."
According to He Rubin's estimate, most false short-hairs were remnants of pirates like Zhu Cailao. At sea, the imperial army might not match them, but on land, when deployed in proper battle formation, they wouldn't dare engage head-on. They would surely retreat to defend Bopu. He would personally lead the main army overland. The rebel-sympathizing commoners in Lingao would no longer dare supply the Bopu short-hairs with vegetables and meat. The army need only maintain a siege for several months to half a year, and they could force the pirates to dismantle their fortress and leave.
Wang Zunde found his plan quite satisfactory. But by custom, formulating strategy wasn't for military officers to decide. It wasn't his place to declare whether it was good or bad—he merely stroked his beard and smiled.
"Governor-General!" Li Fengjie spoke up. "If we send only land forces for suppression, the short-haired pirates can still come and go freely by sea. Even if the traitorous people of Lingao cannot supply vegetables and meat, too many greedy traitors in Fujian and Guangdong seek profit. Things may not proceed as the General hopes."
"You have a better strategy?"
"Liu Laoxiang is a menace to our Guangdong. If we could follow Cao Lütai's strategy and offer him amnesty, using bandits to attack bandits—wouldn't that be an elegant arrangement?"
The words made sense, but who would make contact with this "great pirate"? Liu Laoxiang had been harassing the Pearl River estuary. Imperial troops and local militia had skirmished with his foraging parties many times but still didn't know where his main force was based. The Portuguese had tried multiple times to destroy Liu Xiang without success—they even wanted to launch a joint suppression campaign with the Ming.
Pacifying such a great sea pirate couldn't be accomplished without a year or two of back-and-forth negotiations. The so-called strategy of using bandits to attack bandits was mere empty talk.
Though Wang Zunde smiled, he inwardly disagreed.
"This matter requires further consideration. If he can be pacified, that would certainly be wonderful." He paused. "But who in our province is the Cao LĂĽtai for this task?"
Yuegang Maritime Defense Vice Magistrate Cao LĂĽtai had been the principal handler for Xiong Wencan's pacification of Zheng Zhilong. All matters following Zheng Zhilong's submission were also handled by him. The strategy of using bandits to attack bandits had originally been Cao LĂĽtai's proposal. Wang Zunde saw no similarly bold and capable official in this province who also thoroughly understood "pirate affairs."
But Li Fengjie had his own calculations. Someone on his staff had made contact with Liu Laoxiang and was urging him to accept amnesty. From his advisors, he had learned that although Liu Xiang's power had expanded quickly, he was extremely worried about Zheng Zhilong's expansion—once Zheng Zhilong destroyed Zhong Bin, he would certainly move eastward to Guangdong to destroy him.
Li Fengjie believed that since Liu Xiang harbored such concerns, the possibility of pacifying him was quite good. Recently he had been intensifying efforts on this matter. To avoid Wang Zunde's interference, he kept it secret.
His raising it now wasn't actually to use Liu Xiang, but merely to get Wang Zunde to take a position on pacifying him. Now that his goal was achieved, he said nothing more, simply stating: "This humble official will certainly do his utmost."
Wang Zunde's suppression strategy was as follows:
He Rubin would command the entire army, departing Guangzhou with proper farewell ceremonies before heading to sea. They would cross in batches to Qiongzhou Prefecture, concentrating at Haikou Garrison. Three hundred naval vessels would be deployed—the navy lacked sufficient large ships, and there wasn't time to build them, so the shortfall would be filled by impressing civilian ships along the coast.
Total mobilized forces would reach fifteen thousand. The core would be He Rubin's garrison central battalion and household retainers, supplemented by portions of the Governor's and Governor-General's garrisons—a total of six thousand combat troops. Qiongya Vice Commander Tang Yunwen's forces would also be under his command. Thus the Ming punitive expedition would total twenty thousand by land and sea. Wang Zunde also planned to order the Hainan Circuit Intendant to mobilize militia from Qiongshan, Chengmai, and Lingao, along with any usable local garrison soldiers, to assist in the campaign. Provisions and pay for these forces would be handled by Qiongzhou Prefecture itself.
Once force concentration was complete, the land army would advance along the post road toward Lingao. When the land army had surrounded Bopu, the navy would act as circumstances warranted. Wang Zunde had no expectations for the provincial navy's combat capability, so he didn't specify their tasks.
The proposal to borrow Portuguese warships and cannons for assistance was strenuously opposed by Gao Shunqing. He had originally wanted to submit a memorial cutting off trade with the Portuguese. If this borrowed-force strategy succeeded in driving out the short-hairs, the court would view the Portuguese as useful allies—how could his memorial be approved?
So even though he knew Portuguese large ships and heavy guns would be useful for suppressing the short-hairs, he still firmly opposed. Wang Zunde didn't want to argue with him, so he dropped the matter.
Since the imperial navy couldn't contend with them directly, Wang Zunde invoked the time-honored weapon of maritime prohibition. He immediately ordered Qiongya Vice Commander Tang Yunwen to lead the navy on patrol near Haikou, prohibiting all civilian vessels from entering the Qiongzhou Strait.
"Your Excellency, why not request troops from Guangxi?" After the meeting, LĂĽ Yizhong was puzzled that his employer hadn't summoned Guangxi officials. Guangxi had some fierce and capable native soldiers. In past Li rebellions on Hainan, the court had transferred Miao, Yao, Dong, and other ethnic native soldiers from Guangxi to cross the sea and fight.
"This is Guangdong's affair. Guangdong's troops are better suited." Wang Zunde spoke nonchalantly. "Guangxi has poor land and impoverished people. Better to conscript less from there."
After a moment's thought, Lü Yizhong grasped his meaning—"Guangdong affairs settled by Guangdong."
"Your Excellency is wise."
"Not at all." Wang Zunde nodded with dignified composure. Then he inquired of Lü Yizhong about the detailed situation of the short-haired pirates in Lingao. Lü Yizhong served essentially as the Governor-General's "chief of staff"—all manner of news, dispatches, and documents passed through his hands first.
However, dispatches received from Hainan in Guangzhou contained only fragmentary details—far too little was known about the short-hairs' situation in Lingao. Wang Zunde immediately ordered notices posted in Qiongzhou Prefecture seeking knowledgeable individuals, recruiting people who understood Lingao's pirate situation and were familiar with local waters and geography. He also ordered He Rubin to dispatch additional spies to Lingao to investigate.
"There is one person I believe might be worth questioning."
"Who?"
"The Lingao County Magistrate—Wu Mingjin."
LĂĽ Yizhong reminded him that Lingao County seat hadn't fallen. The county's officials were all alive and well. Regarding the short-hairs' situation, the county magistrate should know most clearly. Why not summon him to Guangzhou under the pretext of debriefing? The local situation and the short-hairs' internal affairs could all be learned in a single interview.
Note:
He Rubin's original hereditary rank was Suzhou Guard Commandery. His courtesy name was "Yinzhi." Wang Zunde addressing him this way was a polite form.
Li Fengjie was the Governor, but Ming Dynasty governors had far lower status than in the Qing. Their rank wasn't clearly defined—generally they held the title of Vice Censor-in-Chief, only a fourth-rank civil official. He could properly address the Governor-General as "this humble official."
(End of Chapter)