Chapter 2097 - One of His Trump Cards
"If that final stratagem also fails to work as intended, the severe shortage of grain remaining inside the city will quickly lead to our army's forward supplies running critically short, eventually forcing us to withdraw back downriver or face starvation ourselves. In my professional assessment, this clever scheme to systematically export grain reserves was most likely something that damned traitor specifically told Xiong Wenchan about—namely, that we rely extraordinarily heavily on continuous logistics—and then some cunning strategic adviser on Xiong's staff devised this particular exploitation plan around that known vulnerability."
Zhu Mingxia nodded his acknowledgment gravely to Xu Ke, who concluded his intelligence remarks and lowered his head to drink several more appreciative sips of the excellent tea. This brought them to the second item on the meeting agenda: collectively discussing appropriate counter-strategies for the upcoming campaign based on the intelligence analysis just presented.
The second agenda item naturally required Zhu Mingxia himself to take center stage. As the de facto supreme commander of the entire Wuzhou Campaign, he possessed full discretionary authority over how to fight the battle, when to commit forces, and how aggressively to push the offensive.
At this particular moment, he felt somewhat uneasy despite his authority. Though he functioned effectively as a military dictator whose strategic word was absolute law, he still had to properly accommodate the democratic sentiments and consultative expectations of the other Elders present at the conference. Of course, realistically no one would openly oppose any major decision he made given his command position, but the important formalities and rituals of democratic consultation still had to be scrupulously observed for political legitimacy.
The basic battle plan had already been essentially set in his mind. Ever since the detailed reconnaissance report had landed on his campaign desk just a few hours earlier, he had internally confirmed that the original operational plan would remain fundamentally unchanged. Even with these several new pieces of urgent intelligence suddenly emerging from Lone Wolf, they would ultimately have no fundamental impact on his core strategy. The tactical approach he'd planned was how they would execute—no competent general would drastically alter his entire battle plan based solely on a few isolated pieces of intelligence, however dramatic. It was the overall commander's seasoned judgment that ultimately decided victory or defeat on the battlefield, and intelligence was merely one important factor informing that crucial judgment, not the sole determinant.
Another moment of uncomfortable silence passed around the table. Clearly, everyone present was patiently waiting for Zhu Mingxia, the acknowledged military chief, to speak first and lay out his thinking.
Zhu Mingxia was naturally perfectly aware of this expectation, but he deliberately had no intention of laying out his complete battle plan straight away without proper context. Instead, he casually instructed the junior officer, "Xiao Zhang, please go fetch the large campaign map from the chart case."
Zhang Dapao was roughly the same age as the youthful Ruan Xiaowu, but his organizational seniority was far less impressive. Having him attend this particular high-level meeting was honestly pushing the limits of his rank a bit, but in order to maintain a proper one-to-one ratio of Army to Navy personnel for political balance, he had eventually been called in to fill out the roster.
A large-scale detailed military map of Wuzhou and its immediate surroundings was carefully spread across the wooden conference table. Zhu Mingxia took a deliberate sip of tea to rinse his mouth and wet his throat, and then began gesturing expressively with his hands as he spoke: "To properly ascertain the Ming army's actual defensive deployments and dispositions, I personally dispatched a reconnaissance team the night before last to conduct close scout operations around the entire perimeter of Wuzhou. These brave lads only returned successfully to their parent units a few hours ago—and several were wounded in the process, I'm proud to say. I'll now brief you all comprehensively on their valuable findings.
"First, regarding the southern approaches to the city: the Dezheng, Nanxun, and Yangming gates are all firmly sealed shut and barricaded, and the wooden bridges spanning the defensive moat have been systematically dismantled and burned. Notably, no Ming regular troops whatsoever have been spotted in the extensive shantytown suburbs south of the city—not even local militia braves or naval auxiliary forces.
"To the east, a relatively small number of Ming soldiers are currently stationed atop Beishan Hill overlooking the approaches, equipped with very few functional firearms—mostly traditional cold weapons like spears and swords.
"To the north, however, extensive and professionally constructed fortifications have been built around the strategically important Dayun Gate, consisting mainly of three sophisticated interlocking rings of defensive trenches connected by well-positioned artillery emplacements equipped with small rapid-fire cannon such as Portuguese-style breech-loading Falangjis. The precise number of Ming troops permanently stationed in that northern sector remains unknown, but careful visual estimates from our scouts suggest somewhere around five to six hundred men, armed primarily with effective ranged weapons like composite bows and matchlock muskets.
"To the west, Ming patrol forces are notably active and alert, and the critical Xijiang Gate is currently the only major gate that remains fully open for traffic and resupply. According to our scouts' direct observations, grain shipment boats are actively being unloaded at secure docks near the Xijiang Gate, with supplies coming downriver from staging areas somewhere up the Gui River."
"But didn't Lone Wolf specifically say in his signal that most of the grain stores in the city had already been moved out?" Xu Ke raised a reasonable question, his brow furrowed.
"That's not actually a contradiction when examined properly. Our reconnaissance report clearly shows the grain boats coming in are relatively few in number—barely sufficient to maintain the city garrison's basic daily supplies at minimal ration levels. It's abundantly clear from the logistics pattern that the Ming army command has absolutely no intention whatsoever of conducting a prolonged static defense of Wuzhou. Governor Xiong Wenchan's ultimate strategic goal is far more likely to bloody our nose badly in one sharp engagement and then tactically abandon Wuzhou before we can fully consolidate control. From there, his plan would unfold exactly as our intelligence analysis suggests: either systematically burning Wuzhou to the ground as he retreats, or conversely, deliberately trapping our main force inside the ruined city to slowly starve."
"Trapping us inside Wuzhou to starve? Would that strategy even realistically work against us?" the skeptical Meng De countered with obvious doubt.
Zhu Mingxia smiled grimly and explained his thinking: "I personally think Xiong Wenchan's ultimate political aim remains to eventually negotiate some kind of face-saving settlement with us, but he understands perfectly well that he currently doesn't possess either the military capability or the political confidence for successful negotiations from a position of strength. His eventual defeat is absolutely certain from any objective analysis—but if he can somehow avoid losing too catastrophically and dramatically, if he can inflict real casualties and delay, he'll gain just enough confidence and political capital to propose negotiations."
"Then let's systematically dampen his confidence first before he gets any dangerous ideas. Since grain boats are clearly entering the city on a regular schedule, there absolutely must be a substantial granary depot or staging area somewhere upstream. I strongly suggest we divert a significant portion of our mobile forces to systematically search upstream and eliminate this granary depot entirely," Zhu Quanxing proposed with tactical logic.
"That's actually unnecessary and potentially dangerous. Setting aside entirely the question of whether this supposed granary depot even actually exists as a fixed facility—what if those grain supplies we're observing are coming directly from Guilin itself on a continuous basis? Are we really seriously going to split off an entire column of troops and march them all the way west to Guilin just to chase down some grain boats? Besides, this whole visible grain resupply operation might well be an elaborate smokescreen deliberately laid by cunning Ming planners specifically to lure us into foolishly dividing our concentrated forces and thereby significantly weakening our siege capacity here. Who can say with certainty whether a well-prepared ambush is waiting upstream on the treacherous Gui River—perhaps even Xiong Wenchan's elite personal guard troops. The Ming's strategic mobilization capacity shouldn't be blindly overestimated based on their recent defeats, but it absolutely shouldn't be carelessly underestimated either."
At this critical juncture, Yang Zeng, the capable commander of the 8th Battalion who had remained thoughtfully silent until now, finally spoke up with his own tactical assessment. He pointed decisively at a small but prominent hill situated across the Gui River directly from Wuzhou's western approaches and said firmly, "Then let's seize that commanding hilltop immediately, establish a proper artillery position with clear fields of fire, and directly cut off Wuzhou's river-borne food supply at its source."
"That particular hill is locally called Bangshan. Our scouts report quite clearly that Ming troops are already firmly stationed there in considerable strength, and they've professionally dug defensive trenches along the summit with good fields of fire. The exact number of defenders remains unknown and couldn't be determined safely, but their demonstrated firepower is genuinely fierce—and quite notably, a significant number are equipped with Nanyang-pattern rifles that we ourselves manufacture and export. That's precisely where our reconnaissance team was first spotted by alert sentries, and that's where they took their casualties under accurate fire. Fortunately for our men, the Nanyang-pattern rifle has relatively limited effective range and stopping power compared to military rifles, or we might have been forced to leave several dead men behind on that hillside."
"Nanyang-pattern rifles in enemy hands!" Everyone present registered visible surprise at this unwelcome intelligence.
"There's actually nothing particularly strange or suspicious about it when you think through the economics. The Nanyang rifle was always designed and marketed primarily as an export product for foreign sale, and although official policy was that it should only be sold to carefully select approved clients and allies, there's absolutely no realistic way of guaranteeing those clients wouldn't turn around and quietly resell the weapons for profit to third parties. Some modest number of Nanyang rifles ending up in the hands of the well-funded Wuzhou garrison isn't particularly unusual or alarming. Don't forget—Xiong Wenchan personally amassed quite a substantial fortune during his lengthy and corrupt tenure as Fujian Grand Coordinator, and he's been serving as Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi for several lucrative years now. Discreetly buying a few dozen Nanyang rifles through back channels, along with sufficient percussion caps and pre-loaded ammunition for one major campaign, specifically to equip his trusted household guard troops for use against us, is perfectly normal behavior for a desperate man. And let's not forget—he also has that damned traitor actively advising him on our weaknesses and capabilities."
"Damn that cunning Xiong—so this particular enemy's genuinely going to be a real hard nut to crack!" Schneider exclaimed with frustration.
"A few dozen Nanyang rifles in skilled hands won't fundamentally make a decisive difference to the campaign outcome. But this intelligence does conclusively show that Governor Xiong has thrown in his full personal stake and committed completely to this defense," Zhu Quanxing remarked thoughtfully. "This revealed capability is clearly one of his carefully hoarded trump cards. He's absolutely bound to have others we haven't discovered yet, and we must remain on maximum guard for surprises."
"Even the strongest, best-prepared enemy will inevitably fall before the overwhelming combined might of the Fubo Army! My final command decision is as follows: the full-scale assault begins tomorrow afternoon at the designated hour!
"Yang Zeng, you will take the entire 8th Battalion and capture Bangshan hill as your primary objective. The enemy has approximately a thousand reasonably well-equipped men dug in there, and they certainly understand clearly the critical strategic importance of controlling the Gui River waterway—they won't give it up easily or retreat without a real fight. Bangshan won't be easy to crack with frontal assault; think of something tactically clever and use your initiative, but don't throw good men at it recklessly in wasteful attacks. Also, intelligence indicates they've constructed a wooden pontoon bridge at the foot of Chashangang for potential retreat. If at all possible, don't let even a single enemy soldier retreat successfully across that bridge alive." Zhu Mingxia began methodically outlining his detailed battle plan with authority.
"Yes, sir! Understood!" Yang Zeng rose smartly to attention and saluted crisply, formally accepting his challenging orders.
"Xiao Zhang, you'll take the entire siege artillery company and conduct an amphibious landing south of the city. Immediately clear proper fields of fire and establish your primary artillery positions with maximum effectiveness."
"Yes, sir! It will be done!"
"Lao Zhu, your battalion will leave exactly three companies deployed south of the city to maintain pressure there. The rest of your main force will execute a wide swing around to the rugged eastern approaches, and another significant detachment will move north to close the ring. Set up strong defensive positions safely outside effective enemy artillery range and maintain a visible military standoff with the Ming forces—standoff and demonstration only, absolutely no premature engagement."
"Am I correctly understanding that I'm to serve primarily as a diversionary force to draw enemy attention and fix their reserves? The southern wall sector is obviously only lightly defended based on reconnaissance—are we making that the apparent main axis of attack to deceive them?" the perceptive Zhu Quanxing asked for confirmation.
"No, actually the opposite. The heavily fortified northern wall is the true main axis where we'll eventually break through. The conspicuously weak defense deployment in the south is transparently clearly meant to lure us in—an obvious trap the Ming desperately want us to fall for like amateurs. Our intelligence from Lone Wolf confirms and explains this deception. The enemy obviously wants us to take the bait greedily, assault the south in strength, breach the undermanned walls easily, and then get catastrophically burned alive after penetrating deep into the prepared urban interior. But the Ming won't stupidly stay trapped in the city to roast helplessly alongside us when they light it. We must first systematically seal off all their planned escape routes, then methodically compress them inside Wuzhou like a vice so that any fire they desperately set will only burn themselves and their own trapped forces."
"Understood perfectly, sir."
"I'll order one complete field artillery company deployed to provide fire support to both the eastern and northern operational sectors to support your maneuvers. However, big siege guns are still big guns—getting the artillerymen and their heavy pieces physically up those steep hills isn't remotely easy work. I realistically estimate they'll arrive and be ready for action at least a full day after your infantry units are already in position and dug in."
"Then what specific role does the Navy play in this plan?" Meng De asked, wanting clarity on naval operations.
"Pound the southern wall of Wuzhou with absolutely everything you've got in your arsenal, making them completely convinced we really are attacking from the south in overwhelming force! The siege artillery company will coordinate their fire missions closely with your naval bombardment for maximum psychological effect."
Schneider and Ruan Xiaowu exchanged glances but said nothing in objection, both understanding their role. They had no substantive objections whatsoever to this sensible and comprehensive plan. At present, apart from actively supporting the 2nd Combined Brigade's siege operations, the Pearl River Task Force West Detachment had nothing else productive to do anyway.
And so, Zhu Mingxia formally adjourned the operational planning meeting with finality, instructing the naturalized officers to get a few hours of proper rest while the Elders themselves remained behind in the conference room—there were other sensitive political matters requiring discussion that couldn't involve the naturalized officers.
The tactical battle plan had been comprehensively finalized: trap the Ming forces inside Wuzhou and let them burn themselves in their own trap. But if that catastrophic fire really did break out and consume the city, what to do about the tens of thousands of innocent civilians of Wuzhou was not something Zhu Mingxia felt he could decide entirely on his own authority without broader political consultation.
Although no formal concept of "humanitarian disaster" or "war crimes" existed in this primitive timeline, Wuzhou still remained a genuinely major city of several tens of thousands of people. Once the city was thoroughly destroyed and the citizens stripped entirely of their homes and livelihoods, the overwhelming burden of their welfare and survival would fall entirely and unavoidably on the Council of Elders' limited resources.
In theory, by systematically destroying the Ming's outer defensive perimeter and then besieging them tightly within Wuzhou's walls, they could simply starve the Ming garrison into abject submission without a single torch ever being lit—thereby mercifully sparing the innocent citizens from agonizing death by fire. But a prolonged siege of starvation meant the time actually needed to capture Wuzhou would depend entirely on how quickly the desperate defenders finally surrendered. By the time that eventually happened, most of the city's civilian population would likely have already starved to death anyway alongside the garrison, which solved nothing.
Zhu Mingxia absolutely could not allow the Wuzhou Campaign to drag on indefinitely. A protracted siege simply was not among his viable strategic options. The Fubo Army's supply and logistics system had always necessarily carried a significant element of living off the conquered land, and their rear-area logistics problems had never been fully or permanently solved despite best efforts. Stockpiled materiel and food reserves in the rear staging areas were ultimately finite and exhaustible; if this siege dragged on too long, the Ming forces might not run completely out of food before the Combined Brigade itself did. Every single Elder-officer in attendance at this conference was intimately familiar with this uncomfortable operational reality.
Xiong Wenchan's unexpected willingness to actually defend the city rather than flee was almost certainly prompted by the traitor's valuable tip-off, deliberately exploiting this precise known weakness in the Fubo Army's logistics tail.
(End of Chapter)