Chapter 2090 - Advance to Wuzhou

Despite their equipment advantages, the Fubo Army's troop shortage remained a critical chronic weakness. Thus Zhu Mingxia's first priority wasn't advancing on Wuzhou, but properly settling the local surrendered forces.

The staff officer beside Zhu Mingxia produced a thick stack of kraft-paper envelopes from his document case.

"These are official appointment letters from our Great Song Council of Elders," Zhu Mingxia announced. "I hereby appoint you as Great Song Zhaoqing Pacification Envoys. Proceed to various locations throughout Zhaoqing Prefecture to accept the surrender of false Ming troops. Inform local commanders and officers that all who sincerely submit and surrender their seals will receive official Great Song appointment letters."

These appointment letters all bore titles such as "Company Commander, Vice Commander, or Platoon Commander of the Xth Battalion, Guangdong Regiment, National Army Provisional Formation."

Even tofu dregs had to be positioned at critical points—buying the Council of Elders more precious time.

The surrendered officers' faces lit up hopefully. Though accepting surrenders carried some risk, success meant substantial rewards. Particularly since many officers in the local settlements were related by blood—even if the surrender mission failed, they wouldn't forfeit their lives.

"All who agree to surrender must turn over their false Ming seals and documents, and sign loyalty pledges to the Council of Elders!"

"Yes, sir! We understand!"

After dispatching these "Pacification Envoys," Zhu Mingxia immediately summoned Lan Rutian and others, ordering him to quickly identify reliable guides so that personnel could be sent to take over the prefectural subordinate counties. Given the current chaotic situation, sending small detachments with a few local collaborators to accept surrenders would meet no organized resistance in most counties. Magistrates had mostly either fled or perished in the chaos. Though naturalized cadres weren't fully in place yet, maintaining local order required taking over county administrations as swiftly as possible.

He studied the military map mounted on the wall intently. Proceeding upriver from Zhaoqing along the West River, before Wuzhou lay several prefectures and counties: Deqing Prefecture, Luoding Prefecture, Fengchuan County, and more. According to reports from the brigade's long-range reconnaissance company and from the Military Intelligence Center: the Ming heavy forces that had been stationed in those areas—particularly the Eastern and Western Mountain Anti-Yao Garrison Commanders and the Central Route Defense Commander with over five thousand garrison troops combined—had all withdrawn toward Wuzhou. What remained locally were mainly the scattered operating troops of the various Guard settlements. Having already dispatched people to accept their surrender, military pressure on the advance was minimal. The real hard nut to crack was Wuzhou itself!

If only the Eastern and Western Mountain commanders had surrendered! Zhu Mingxia felt a pang of regret. The forces under the anti-Yao garrison commanders were the most combat-capable in western Guangdong. Had they surrendered, he could have rested easy on the Yao problem for the time being.

Intelligence had certainly made the effort: but the Two Mountain commanders and the Central Route Defense Commander seemed insufficiently impressed by the Council's fearsome reputation. Demonstrating firm loyalty to the Ming, they had flatly refused—and had even ruthlessly executed the surrendered officer sent to negotiate.

"Summon Task Force Commander Schneider," Zhu Mingxia ordered.

On April 10, 1635, Zhu Mingxia's flagship reached Fengchuan County seat. As he'd anticipated, the troops had encountered no organized resistance along the way. Luoding, Deqing, and other locations had all surrendered promptly at the sight of his forces. The First Brigade's main force had occupied Fengchuan on April 9.

The river was now crowded with vessels of the Pearl River Task Force's Western Detachment. This small county town at the Guangdong-Guangxi border had never witnessed so many people at once; the former tranquility was thoroughly shattered. Zhu Mingxia established his command post atop Fengchuan's South Gate tower. He lit a "Holy Vessel" cigarette and gazed pensively at the rows of tents on the open ground outside the South Gate. Fubo Army soldiers bustled about, occasionally shouting rousing slogans: "On to Wuzhou! Capture Xiong Wenchan alive!"

The slogans were rousing, but Zhu Mingxia knew they weremerely slogans. Xiong Wenchan wouldn't wait obediently in Wuzhou to be captured. Facing the Fubo Army's relentless advance, he might flee to Guilin in a flash. More likely, he'd hold out desperately in Wuzhou to the bitter end, then die when the city fell—a standard "Governor's martyrdom."

Most Elders harbored a rather inexplicable sympathy for Xiong Wenchan. They felt this governor known for conciliatory policies might share more common ground with the Council. If he could survive and become a political consultative committee member or a historian, that would be ideal. Dying like this seemed a genuine pity.

Zhu Mingxia had negligible interest in capturing Xiong Wenchan alive. What interested him was fighting a decisive annihilation battle at Wuzhou—seizing this crucial strategic node of the Two Guangs and effectively blocking the Ming army's eastern approach.

But fighting an annihilation battle proved easier said than done. Military doctrine stated: "With ten times the enemy's strength, encircle; with five times, attack." Yet Zhu Mingxia commanded fewer than four thousand men. Even counting the sailors of the Pearl River Task Force, he had only five thousand.

According to intelligence, Xiong Wenchan had already concentrated the Guangdong Anti-Yao Eastern and Western Mountain Garrison Commanders and the Guangxi Xunwu Left Garrison Commander's forces—totaling over six thousand garrison troops—at Wuzhou. Additionally, there were approximately a thousand "wolf soldiers" from the nearby Xunzhou Prefecture's tribal chieftains, about a thousand men from the Wuzhou Naval Battalion, plus local Guard troops and hastily organized militia. Xiong Wenchan now commanded well over ten thousand men—no longer as easy to deal with as at Zhaoqing.

Current force ratio was roughly two-to-one. Not too heavily lopsided. During the Second Counter-Encirclement Campaign, the ratio had been over three-to-one, yet the Fubo Army had still prevailed decisively. The problem was that back then the Fubo Army had been waiting at ease for an exhausted enemy; now the situation was reversed. Xiong Wenchan's ten-thousand-plus troops were holed up in Wuzhou, absolutely refusing open battle.

According to intelligence from inside Xiong Wenchan's staff, his resolve to defend Wuzhou was extremely firm—and couldn't not be. He'd first lost Guangzhou, then Zhaoqing. The court hadn't punished him yet, but that didn't mean he was forgiven. Holding Wuzhou was his last chance for redemption.

In open battle, Zhu Mingxia wouldn't give a second thought to Xiong Wenchan's ten thousand men—for the First Mixed Brigade, they were just ten thousand potential corpses or prisoners. The problem was Xiong Wenchan's determination to defend the city, relying on Wuzhou's formidable fortifications and surrounding terrain to resist to the end.

Since D-Day, the Fubo Army had never conducted a single major assault against a heavily fortified major city. The Pearl River estuary breakthrough hadn't aimed to capture Guangzhou—just a rocket demonstration to terrify. As for their advances in Hainan and Guangdong: either insiders opened the gates, or defenders lacked will and numbers, and cities had been easily taken.

Wuzhou, over twenty kilometers away, would be the first true fortress the Fubo Army stormed—a city defended by a substantial, determined garrison.

But Zhu Mingxia couldn't estimate how many casualties it would cost to take Wuzhou. Originally, "Youhu" (Swimming Tiger—aggressive commander identity) had been slated to command the First Mixed Brigade. But Huanan Army Headquarters, considering Youhu was brave to the point of recklessness and might suffer unacceptable losses at Wuzhou, had made a last-minute switch, swapping Zhu Mingxia and Youhu's assignments. What Headquarters worried about wasn't whether Wuzhou could be taken, but minimizing casualties in the process.

Throughout history, siege warfare favored defenders enjoying terrain advantages. No matter how powerful the attackers, facing a heavily fortified city they'd inevitably suffer severe setbacks. In this time-space, the Guan-Ning Army had held off the Jurchen for years precisely by relying on the fortress network centered on Shanhaiguan, Ningyuan, and Jinzhou along the Liaodong corridor. Facing a well-prepared fortress, if rapid capture proved impossible, a prolonged siege would not only cause mounting casualties but also tie down substantial combat strength. This was exactly what Huanan Army wanted to avoid at all costs.

He carefully studied Wuzhou's terrain on the map. From the map's details: Wuzhou's geography wasn't overly complicated. The city backed mountains and faced water. Wuzhouers nicknamed their city "Mountain City"—essentially formed from West River alluvial flats and gentle slopes at mountain bases. Surrounded by hills, it had probably grown organically from foothill villages over centuries. Taking the water route from Fengchuan led directly to the present urban area. In cold-weapons-era conditions, completely encircling it would indeed prove difficult—especially cutting it off entirely. But the Fubo Army's long-range firepower held enormous advantages. Land on some strategic shoal, seize a commanding hilltop, set up artillery—and they could pour devastating fire into the city. Complete blockade wouldn't be easy, but breaching the walls would be no problem. The key was controlling the river branches and approaches.

Unfortunately, due to the Xintan shoals, the Western Detachment's two shallow-draft heavy gunboats couldn't reach Fengchuan. Only smaller gunboats could make it to Wuzhou. But gunboats were sufficient to blockade the river effectively. For siege operations, heavy mortars could be transported gradually by landing craft.

In a word, Senatus Populusque Magnus.

Tomorrow's update—Volume Seven, Guangzhou Governance Arc, Section 296

(End of Chapter)