Chapter 1081 - Mao Chenglu
Using this method, the channel leading to the Qimu Island trestle bridge could just barely be kept operational. The icebreaker's daily passages essentially maintained clear passage, ensuring uninterrupted transport of refugees.
But such measures could only guarantee the channel to the pier remained open. They did little to address a far more serious problem: the safety of the island itself.
After Longkou Bay froze, Qimu Island was no longer connected to the mainland solely by a sandbar. Instead, it had effectively become part of the Longkou Bay coastline. Beneath the blanket of snow, it was nearly impossible to tell this was an island at all.
Small islands near Bohai Bay's shores, once frozen over in winter, became flat land with no natural defenses. Similar lessons had accumulated throughout the late-Ming Liaodong wars. Because the Later Jin army possessed no navy, they frequently exploited the extensive freezing of the Bohai Sea to dispatch troops against islands garrisoned by Ming forces—often achieving total victory.
The Dongjiang army had suffered this fate often enough. Now that they were the attackers, they would certainly make full use of this same advantage.
Though the ice thickness in Longkou Bay was not extreme, and gaps existed between the ice floes, people and horses could traverse it without difficulty. This meant that Qimu Island—which had originally relied on special service boats to guarantee maritime security on three sides facing water—now faced considerable vulnerabilities.
"Under these frozen conditions, our ships lose their mobility." Lu Yang, who had rushed from the Daishuang after hearing the alarm, spoke grimly. "Warships in the channel can only serve as fixed batteries..."
"The combined firepower of your five ships will be sufficient," Zhu Mingxia replied. "The disadvantage is the lack of maneuverability. We can only provide fire support within the channel, and accuracy will suffer somewhat."
Since ice now surrounded the island, the enemy might not necessarily choose the sandbar as their sole avenue of attack. They could easily detour across the frozen surface to assault Qimu Island from any direction.
If so, every facility on Qimu Island might face direct enemy attack.
"I'm not overly concerned about the enemy breaking through. Our greatest weakness is the refugee camp—its defenses are the weakest, and nearly ten thousand people are backlogged there now. If fighting breaks out, it will be extremely difficult to manage if the camp erupts into chaos." Lu Wenyuan's brow furrowed deeply.
The refugee camp did have walls, towers, and artillery. But far too many refugees had accumulated within. Under fierce siege conditions, keeping their "emotions stable" would prove challenging. Moreover, the camp's own fortifications were the weakest of all positions. Many sections consisted of nothing more than earthen embankments topped by wooden fencing—designed less for external defense than for containment and control.
Three pairs of eyes converged on Zhu Mingxia. As chief officer of the Northbound Detachment, defensive operations fell under his responsibility.
"It doesn't matter," Zhu Mingxia said. "The enemy may not even be able to land on the island under our firepower. And even if they do, we can defeat them before they can launch any siege."
He paused. "Not to mention, we have quite a few pieces of valuable equipment on this island. It would be troublesome if they actually broke through and damaged something."
Zhu Mingxia judged their troop strength to be quite adequate, with firepower to spare. There was no need to remain trapped within defensive works. His plan called for village braves and a small number of regular troops to hold the various fortresses while he personally led four infantry companies in a mobile defense across the island. Coordinating with artillery from the fortresses and warships, they would intercept whichever direction the enemy attacked from and drive them off the island directly.
"The enemy approaching over the ice will inevitably move slowly. We'll pummel their marching columns with continuous artillery fire. I doubt they'll hold together long enough to reach the island's edge." Zhu Mingxia's voice carried easy confidence. "Don't worry—the enemy will certainly be defeated. The only difficulty is capturing many prisoners..."
"If we capture too many prisoners, this place will become a hell on earth..." Lu Wenyuan shook his head vigorously. "Just drive them away."
"Prisoners aren't the priority," Chen Sigen said. "What matters is hurting the rebels badly enough that they understand their position."
They immediately divided responsibilities. Lu Wenyuan would remain at the Qimu Island stockade to oversee overall operations. Chen Sigen would defend the Willow Palisade. Zhu Mingxia would lead three companies in mobile defense. Lu Yang would return to the fleet.
The Northbound Detachment and the Peace Preservation Corps of the Shandong Advance Column slept in their clothes that night, weapons never leaving their hands. All guard posts were reinforced with double sentries. Zhu Mingxia ordered every cannon on the island brought out and installed in firing positions—previously, to avoid "shocking the public," some artillery pieces had sat in prepared positions but remained unmounted.
Immediately, he instructed the various kitchens to begin cooking, boiling water in large quantities, and preparing dry pancakes. The battle might last all day. Dry rations alone would not suffice. Moreover, once the enemy landed, cooking and boiling water at the various camps would become impractical. Reserves had to be prepared in advance.
Zhu Mingxia directed Lu Yang to remove several additional Gatling guns from the warships to reinforce the Willow Palisade. He also installed several naval short cannons from inventory onto the palisade's bastion.
"Are you arming my bastion a bit excessively?" Chen Sigen could not help objecting. "The ice has opened routes onto the island from every direction. The enemy doesn't have to attack through the Willow Palisade..."
"Your Willow Palisade will face the greatest pressure," Zhu Mingxia told him. "The sandbar is the most convenient path onto the island, and the road conditions there are best. The enemy will definitely drive large numbers of refugees to smash directly into the Willow Palisade via the sandbar. When that happens, I'm only worried you might grow soft-hearted from all the killing..."
Chen Sigen looked skeptical. "You're that certain?"
"Absolutely. Let's consider this from the enemy's perspective. If you were a rebel general, how would you plan the assault on Qimu Island?"
"With numerical superiority, I would obviously attack from multiple directions simultaneously, forcing the defenders to divide their strength."
"Correct. After the sea froze, breach points can be selected at will. Detouring across the ice to strike our weaker flank would be ideal. But maneuvering a detour across sea ice is no simple undertaking. If most of my subordinates were refugees conscripted at sword-point, asking them to execute such complex tactical movements would be impossible." Zhu Mingxia indicated the sand table. "If I were Mao Chenglu, I would drive masses of refugees to strike the Willow Palisade head-on, drawing our attention and firepower. Then I would select elite troops to detour on foot across the ice and attack from the flank."
Chen Sigen nodded slowly. "But if that's the case, isn't strengthening the Willow Palisade like this playing right into their hands?"
"If we were an army of comparable quality, Mao Chenglu's plan would pose a genuine threat," Zhu Mingxia said. "But a generational gap separates our forces. The Dongjiang Army couldn't match the Tartars in Liaodong, and they're even less a match for the Fubo Army on Qimu Island. On the other hand, the Willow Palisade must withstand a tidal wave of thousands of refugees. Deploying enough firearms to disperse the cannon fodder quickly is also a way to minimize casualties."
"I understand."
"There's one more thing I must warn you about," Zhu Mingxia added. "Intelligence indicates the rebels have conscripted large numbers of able-bodied men. Many are ordinary folk from Huang County. They will very likely employ tactics of driving civilians as the vanguard cannon fodder—to fill the trenches and exhaust our ammunition—in their assault on the Willow Palisade. You'll need to stay steady when that moment comes..."
Chen Sigen's face paled slightly. He clenched his fist. "I understand what you mean. Rest assured."
Having arranged the defense, Zhu Mingxia immediately dispatched personnel from the Engineer Training Unit, accompanied by the Peace Preservation Corps, to the shores of Qimu Island. There they buried simplified directional mines, laid additional barbed wire, and emplaced landmines around all fortresses.
He ordered double ammunition issued to the four infantry companies assigned to mobile defense—both bullets and grenades.
With all preparations complete, Zhu Mingxia deployed every Special Reconnaissance Team member and scout cavalryman at his disposal. Their mission: track Mao Chenglu's movements at all times.
Mao Chenglu's army did not depart Huang County until the twenty-first day of the first month, in the fifth year of Chongzhen—a Renshen year. The entire force numbered nearly ten thousand, more than half of whom were conscripted civilians from Huang County. Some had been issued weapons; many had been driven to the battlefield without so much as a wooden stick.
The roads were snowy and difficult to traverse. Though the rebels had looted large numbers of livestock—cattle, horses, donkeys, and mules—their march remained slow. The main column burdened with six heavy cannons and numerous firearms of various sizes did not reach the Longkou Bay area until that night.
Mao Chenglu had initially not known where "Manor Lord Lu's" stockade was located—only that it lay somewhere in the Longkou Bay region. Along the march, he had dispatched several waves of night scouts before finally confirming the manor's position on Qimu Island.
En route, they captured more civilians and extracted a rough understanding of the situation: a stockade existed on Qimu Island. A palisade wall had been erected across the sandbar, with village braves inspecting all entry and exit, maintaining strict guard.
Mao Chenglu had visited Qimu Island before and knew the approximate terrain. After making camp ten li from the island that evening, he immediately dispatched several waves of night scouts to probe the surrounding area—particularly the ice conditions on Longkou Bay.
That night, the Special Reconnaissance Team and the rebel night scouts clashed repeatedly around Qimu Island. Gunshots and screams punctuated the blackness at irregular intervals. The night scouts were virtually annihilated. Of the several dozen sent out, fewer than eight returned to the main camp.
Early the next morning, surrounded by his subordinate officers, Mao Chenglu climbed the Longkou Beacon Mound overlooking Longkou Bay. From this vantage point, he commanded a clear view of Qimu Island.
Mao Chenglu raised a telescope—a European instrument Sun Yuanhua had once commissioned missionaries to purchase especially—and studied the terrain around Qimu Island.
The sandbar, the only channel onto the island, was defended with evident care. Beyond it, three isolated stockades dotted the island, each protected by walls and watchtowers.
Looking at these fortifications, Qimu Island was clearly no easy fruit to take. Mao Chenglu drew in a sharp breath of cold air. He recognized the stockades as "Western-style Beacon Towers"—the "Red Barbarian cities" that Governor Sun had long advocated constructing. As a general, he had communicated with the Frankish (Portuguese) West Workers in Dengzhou and possessed a rough understanding of Frankish tactics and methods.
"Goodness," he muttered. "This stockade will be no simple matter." He handed the telescope to Commander Chen Guangfu beside him—the man had been ordered to lead three thousand reinforcements to support Mao Chenglu, and now held the rank of Regional Assistant Commander.
(End of Chapter)