Chapter 2161 - Pursuit Planning
The moment struck Zhu Si like lightning—he understood Mi Longtao's intent. The officer wasn't content with mere victory; he meant to pursue the bandits and annihilate them completely.
Yet their forces assembled at Xugang remained pitifully small. They possessed neither numerical superiority nor any meaningful advantage in arms.
Color drained from Zhu Si's face. "Perhaps... perhaps we should request reinforcements from Yunan County to coordinate..."
"Already done." Mi Longtao's tone was matter-of-fact. "But by the time they make the round trip, they'll arrive only to sweep up corpses." He gestured at the map with his good hand. "Still, no matter. With the enemy concentrated in one place, this presents an ideal opportunity for a combined operation." His finger traced several routes. "The bandits have fled, yes, but this terrain limits their options. Before I even entered Xugang, I dispatched the Investigation Squad and scouts to track their movements."
A runner materialized at his elbow, whispering urgently. Mi Longtao's eyes kindled. "Where?"
"The Declaration Pavilion, sir. An escapee—wounded."
"Excellent." Mi Longtao rose fluidly. "A villager has just reported that a large bandit force is resting in his hamlet. Let's assess the situation personally."
"Yes, sir!"
With his injured arm, Mi Longtao struggled to manage the map. Zhu Si hastened to fold it for him.
At the Declaration Pavilion, a crowd of villagers had gathered—necks craning, bodies pressed together as they stood on tiptoes to glimpse inside. The village militia held them at bay, but the soldiers parted immediately when they spotted the officers approaching.
Inside, several guards surrounded a gaunt, sun-darkened man collapsed on a long bench. A medic worked swiftly over his wounds while village elders observed from the courtyard with grave expressions.
"This is him, sir." The duty sergeant stepped forward. "Ran all the way here before collapsing at the gate. The militia brought him in. Arrow wound. The medic's treating him now."
"Can he speak?"
"Yes, sir. We've searched him—no weapons."
Mi Longtao nodded curtly. "Bring him forward. I have questions."
The interrogation proved brief but revealing. The man hailed from a tiny hamlet called Lizui. Roughly half an hour earlier—he measured time in meals—bandits had descended on the village, herded all inhabitants together, and forced the women to prepare food while the gang rested.
"They're holding everyone in the ancestral hall..." The man's voice trembled. "When I tried to run, they shot me. The arrow knocked me down and I lost consciousness. They must have thought me dead—that's the only reason I escaped."
Mi Longtao listened in silence, then exchanged quiet words with the Fengchuan Investigation Squad captain. Finally: "How many?"
"I didn't stop to count while running for my life. Roughly two hundred."
With a gesture, Mi Longtao dismissed him. He then summoned local villagers, spreading the map and cross-referencing their testimony with the terrain. Zhu Si and Li Dong knew better than to interrupt.
"Come here." Mi Longtao beckoned them closer.
"I've questioned the locals. Lizui is a small settlement approximately two and a half kilometers from our position—perhaps twenty households in total. When the troubles began several days ago, most residents fled to the larger fortified villages that maintain militia. Only the elderly and infirm—those unwilling or unable to leave—remained behind."
"Can we trust the informant?" Zhu Si ventured.
"Excellent question." Mi Longtao's approval was evident. "We have Lizui refugees sheltering here in Xugang. This man is definitely from that hamlet—a common laborer, not someone with questionable allegiances."
"Then the intelligence is sound."
"Indeed. This enemy contingent almost certainly participated in the siege here and the ambush against our column. I intend to destroy them utterly." Mi Longtao's gaze swept across both officers. "Objections?"
What could they say? Zhu Si and Li Dong voiced their agreement.
"Dispatch reconnaissance teams to Lizui immediately!" Mi Longtao's orders came rapid-fire. "Interview more refugees—I want detailed intelligence on the local terrain!"
Within the hour, they had compiled substantial information from the Lizui refugees. An apprentice ensign produced a rudimentary sketch map.
The map revealed Lizui as a small basin cradled among low hills, enclosed on all sides save for a depression to the north. The cartography remained primitive—no contour lines, no proper surveying marks. Little more than a crude diagram.
"According to locals, the hills barely reach ten meters—gentle slopes throughout, hardly a significant obstacle. Fruit trees dominate the planting, with scattered hardwoods. The broader terrain follows the same pattern: expansive flatlands punctuated by hills of varying elevations. Between them lie rice paddies, fishponds, irrigation channels, and streams. In terms of concealment, the hamlet's position is excellent—one reason some residents refused evacuation."
"If the enemy decides to entrench, we'll have our hands full," Li Dong observed.
Though the hamlet itself offered minimal defensive value, the surrounding paddies and wetlands heavily favored the defender. Any assault would be channeled along a single village road and narrow paddy dikes—no matter their numbers, troops couldn't deploy properly. Even the Beiwei Army's firepower superiority would be difficult to leverage effectively.
"You're absolutely right." Mi Longtao acknowledged the assessment. "However, while attacking proves difficult for us, retreat is equally problematic for them."
In such terrain, a defending force attempting withdrawal had only one viable route.
"We merely need to drive them from the village—after that, they're exposed." Mi Longtao checked the sky. "Has the Yunan County detachment arrived?"
"Not yet, sir."
"Too slow." Displeasure flickered across his features. He turned to Zhu Si. "I'll need to borrow your boats' mountain howitzers."
"Of course. The guns are maintained and ready—ammunition stocked. We can begin firing immediately." Zhu Si nodded eagerly. Mi Longtao's plan was becoming clear: concentrate all available shipboard artillery for a bombardment of Lizui, then drive the enemy from the village with a single decisive push and intercept them along their escape route.
Shortly after four in the afternoon, the scouts returned from Lizui.
"Approximately two hundred holdouts defending the village. They've concentrated defenses at the main entrance with firearms positioned on the surrounding hills—wooden cannons, various matchlocks. Security is tight; we couldn't approach closely enough for detailed reconnaissance." The scout indicated positions on the marked map. "No fortifications built, though. They appear ready to abandon the position at a moment's notice."
"You've all heard—the enemy situation is straightforward." Mi Longtao surveyed his officers. "I estimate they're waiting to slip away under darkness. Time is against us. We move immediately."
The Wuzhou Composite Company would assault Lizui frontally while Mi Longtao's force established an ambush along the enemy's retreat route to catch the fleeing bandits.
"Questions? Concerns?" The plan accounted for each unit's equipment, combat capability, and the enemy disposition. Enemy morale was shattered; the National Army possessed artillery support. The frontal assault should face minimal resistance. Conversely, bandits fleeing the village would fight with the desperation of cornered animals—thus the more elite Beiwei regulars and mountain warfare company would handle the interception.
For Zhu Si, both assignments spelled trouble. Whether storming the village or blocking the road, the Composite Company remained poorly equipped and inadequately trained. Any engagement promised to be brutal. Yet he dared not display the slightest hesitation. "We'll complete the mission absolutely, sir."
"The Xugang militia will provide support." Mi Longtao's expression softened slightly. "Make noise. As much as possible."
"Half a li at minimum from here to the village entrance." Zhu Si lowered his binoculars, voice tight.
The entire Wuzhou Composite Company—augmented by three mountain howitzers and roughly a hundred able-bodied men from Xugang—had assembled in the wooded hillside.
Li Dong remained silent, studying the terrain through his own glass. Beyond a makeshift barricade of furniture and debris blocking the village entrance, he saw no meaningful defensive works. A handful of slovenly bandits lounged behind the obstruction.
But the flanking hills told a different story. Among the trees, figures moved with purpose. He spotted wooden cannons and matchlocks concealed in the undergrowth.
"Enemy positions on both flanks," he warned Zhu Si.
"I have eyes." Irritation sharpened Zhu Si's tone. "Light cannons, matchlocks—they're better equipped than we are. March our boys up there in formation and one volley cuts us in half."
Li Dong's stomach knotted. He understood Zhu Si's anxiety perfectly. Ordering the Composite Company into such an assault was tantamount to a death sentence. In the Beiwei Army, he had been merely a soldier—orders were absolute, discussion forbidden. But now he wore a National Army officer's insignia. Though his rank remained modest, over a hundred lives depended on his decisions. If this battle ended with corpses carpeting the ground, even if his superiors absolved him, his own conscience would not.
How to proceed? He continued scanning through the binoculars, mind working furiously. The enemy firepower concentrated near the village entrance; elsewhere along the hilltops, the positions looked thinly held.
"Captain, a direct assault is suicide—one volley and we're shredded. I propose we divide our forces. One column attacks frontally to fix their attention while I take another column through the flank and work our way up from there."
"Nonsense!" Zhu Si's rebuke was instant. "Flank? That entire approach is rice paddies that'll swallow you whole, or else irrigation channels. By the time you and your men finish crawling through the mud, the bandits will be long gone."
"The men go barefoot. Half the company are locals—they grew up working those paddies. They can manage it." Li Dong pressed on. "I'll lead the flanking element into position quietly. The moment Lieutenant Mi's signal rocket goes up, we hit them from both directions simultaneously."
(Chapter End)