Chapter Seventy-Three: The Garrison

“The prisoner of war camp is all ready. I’ve even trained a batch of old ladies to shave their heads,” Yang He said with great enthusiasm. He had spent the entire afternoon discussing the site selection and construction of the prisoner of war camp with Mei Wan. Now they had agreed on a date to start construction. But a large number of supporting facilities for the prisoner of war camp still required the cooperation of other departments. When it came to the upcoming capture of a large number of government army prisoners, everyone was very excited. Only Dongmen Chuiyu smiled without speaking. He had participated in several military affairs meetings, and it was not so simple to capture as many prisoners as possible. After several wargames, the possibility of a rout was very high.

Once the 20,000 government troops were routed, it would be a troublesome matter to gather them up and put them in a prisoner of war camp. The Fubo Army lacked cavalry, the most powerful branch of the army in a pursuit battle.

Of course, destroying Tang Yunwen’s navy and occupying the Baisha naval base could cut off the government army’s retreat to the mainland, but Hainan Island was a large place with a lot of room for maneuver. The government army could also retreat to Wenchang and other places. The scattered soldiers could easily turn into small groups of bandits on the spot, which would be a great disaster for the local area. The meeting decided that after defeating the enemy in a land battle, the remnants of the Ming army should be allowed to retreat to the Haikou Thousand-Household Post or Qiongshan County town as completely as possible, to catch them in a trap.

The reason why he had been repeatedly training the troops in siege techniques these days was precisely for this consideration. After a week of continuous training, the coordination between the infantry, artillery, and engineers was already quite proficient. This earthen city was actually built on a smaller scale according to the size of the Haikou Thousand-Household Post city, but the height and thickness of the city walls and the defensive facilities were basically one-to-one, with no reduction.

After dinner, Dongmen Chuiyu returned to the headquarters. In the evening, a meeting of officers above the battalion level of the field army was to be held.

He Ming held this meeting under pressure from the Executive Committee. The president of the Planning Institute, Wu De, had expressed concern at several coordination meetings: the army was now mobilized, but the economic situation could not support such a wartime operation for a long time. In addition, Cheng Dong, Ma Qianzhu, and others had all inquired about the specific operational plan. He Ming knew that they all hoped that the battle would unfold as soon as possible. Some hoped to extend their rule to the entire Hainan as soon as possible, while others were worried that the Transmigration Group’s economy could not withstand such consumption. He knew that everyone had their own reasons, and they were all plausible when put on the table. And the general direction of the entire Senate was also to hope to eliminate the enemy as soon as possible.

Although neither the Senate nor the Executive Committee had the right to interfere with the Minister of War’s strategic and tactical decisions according to the law, the 90-day deadline made He Ming feel very heavy pressure. If he could not achieve a decisive victory within three months, it would be difficult for him to pass when the Senate discussed the renewal of the Minister of War’s term.

He Ming knew that the best choice now was a quick and decisive battle.

But the special reconnaissance team members he had sent to patrol near the Haikou Thousand-Household Post and the intelligence from the Foreign Intelligence Bureau all indicated that not a single Ming army soldier had yet landed on Hainan Island. Only a few thousand troops were assembled in Guangzhou. As for whether they were preparing to assemble the entire army and cross the sea together, or to arrive in batches, the intelligence did not say.

The Ming army had not yet moved out, which made He Ming, who was used to being a modern soldier, find it difficult to understand—for a landing operation like the one on Hainan Island, the first thing was to seize the initiative, ensure the safety of the bridgehead on the island, so that subsequent troops and supplies could be continuously sent to the island.

He and his staff had conducted many map exercises, and every time, the imagined Ming army’s combat operation began with a small force reinforcing the Haikou Thousand-Household Post. The staff believed that based on the Ming army’s maritime transport capacity and the speed of troop mobilization and assembly, the Ming army would inevitably adopt a method of small batches and multiple trips to transport troops. And the best port that could be used in northern Hainan Island was only Shenying Port in Haikou.

But so far, the reconnaissance team had not found any signs of reinforcement of the Ming army troops in the Baisha naval base and the Haikou Thousand-Household Post city. This surprised him and also put his plan in danger of falling through.

In order to start the war as soon as possible, he had to change his original cautious plan and decided to take some measures to stimulate the Guangdong officials and force the enemy to move their troops to Hainan Island as soon as possible.

He Ming was from a low-ranking officer background and did not have many twists and turns in his mind. Now that everyone was being asked to contribute ideas, there was no need to be secretive. He simply stated the current situation facing the field army:

“…The Executive Committee has its difficulties. Our foundation is weak. We are now supporting more than 10,000 land and sea troops, as well as more than 2,000 civilian laborers and militia. We must fight a quick and decisive battle. Everyone, let’s brainstorm and see how we can put some pressure on the enemy and make them land on the island ahead of schedule.”

The officers all agreed with his operational plan of putting pressure on the enemy and forcing them to enter the island ahead of schedule. Some suggested besieging Chengmai, some suggested sending a light force to feign an attack on the Haikou Thousand-Household Post city, and some suggested that the navy should be dispatched to bombard the gates of Guangzhou: Humen and Shajiao…

“I’ll take the fourth battalion to besiege Chengmai,” said You Laohu, the commander of the fourth battalion. He had just been promoted to battalion commander and was eager to show his skills. “I guarantee to take the city in one day.”

Dongmen Chuiyu finally said: “These methods are all good, but it’s too early to take Chengmai County town. The movement will be too big. Now the Senate and the Executive Committee have different opinions on war and peace. We should not take the county town too early, and we should leave some room for Wang Zunde. In addition, the intelligence says that the government thinks we are not good at land warfare. If we take Chengmai County town in one go, we will not only be good at land warfare but also at siege warfare. The enemy will not be so bold as to fight a decisive battle with us.”

Another officer said: “We should besiege Chengmai and make it look like the situation in Hainan is urgent, and at the same time let the government army underestimate us. It’s best if they think we are a piece of cake.”

“Everyone’s opinions are very good,” He Ming said. “We’ll just do it all at once.”

He then ordered You Laohu to lead a part of the troops to besiege Chengmai.

“You take a company of infantry from the fourth battalion, and then mobilize two hundred militiamen to go with you. Bring more gongs and drums, and feign an attack on the city of Chengmai. The play must be done well, so that the magistrate in Chengmai County will hurry up and send for help.”

“Yes!” You Laohu stood up and saluted. “I will definitely complete the mission.” He then said: “Can you give me one or two cannons? Our bandits are known for their sharp firearms. It won’t look right without a big cannon.”

“You take two 12-pounder mountain howitzers,” Ying Yu said. “They are light and convenient for you to carry, and the effect of bombarding the city wall with solid shot is average.”

“Alright, I’ll set off tomorrow morning! Give me a few good gunners, and I’ll knock down the city tower of Chengmai County town…”

“No, you can have more cannons, but you can only take the student soldiers from the training team as gunners. Bring more ammunition and let the student soldiers practice more.”

Ying Yu knew that He Ming hoped that the Ming army would underestimate their combat effectiveness, so he nodded: “So be it.”

“You go with great fanfare along the way, and collect grain from the villages and hamlets along the way. If anyone disobeys, destroy them first,” He Ming gave him instructions. “The Three Main Rules of Discipline and the Eight Points for Attention are the basic principles. You have to keep an eye on the militiamen! But if anyone wants to go against us, smash them to pieces. Kill a few more landlords, rich peasants, and clan leaders! And let a few of them escape.”

“Understood!” You Laohu’s dark face turned red with excitement.

“Little Ye.”

“Here,” Ye Mengyan stood up. After He Ming became the Minister of War and formed the field army, Bei Wei had directly assigned Ye Mengyan’s detachment to his command.

“You take the detachment to infiltrate the Haikou Thousand-Household Post and carry out harassment operations,” He Ming said. “Kill a few people with great fanfare, and capture a few officials as prisoners.”

“Understood,” Ye Mengyan was very excited. He had already carried out several reconnaissance missions to Qiongshan. This time, being able to do a big job made him very excited.

“Little Wei!” He Ming then called Wei Aiwen’s name.

“Here!”

“The Senate and the Executive Committee are preparing to take over the various garrison posts in the county. I’ll leave this matter to you,” He Ming said. “The combat effectiveness of the garrison is not worth mentioning. It’s mainly a political battle. The key is to win the hearts of the people. You go and be in charge. I’ll give you a company. You should get it done as soon as possible.”

“Understood!”

“You go back to Bairen first, and meet with Wu De and Ma Qianzhu first. Listen to their opinions on how to handle it,” He Ming said. “In addition, you have to let a few leaders go and let them rush to Qiongshan to report the emergency.”

Of course, Wei Aiwen knew the intention behind this. He said happily: “I understand! I will definitely get it done in a week.”

“The garrison troops have two camps on the edge of the Li area, with several hundred men. They are a relatively battle-worthy force,” He Ming said. “After these two camps are taken over, don’t disband them for the time being. Just arrest the officers who have aroused public indignation. Let the county continue to supply their rations and pay as usual.”

He Ming was worried that if these two camps were cancelled, the Li people would take the opportunity to launch a rebellion, so he requested that these two be temporarily left behind.

“I know,” Wei Aiwen said with some regret. “Actually, we can recruit Li and Miao soldiers…”

“We’ll talk about that later. You get the garrison matter settled first.”

The next morning, Wei Aiwen led an infantry company back to Bairen. The company commander was Lin Fu. He was originally a villager from the Salt Field Village and was one of the first natives to join the army. He was the first native company commander in the army. Just as Wei Aiwen left the camp, he saw You Laohu holding a large border army sword—ever since he saw Wen Desi’s private collection, You Laohu had always wanted to get such a domineering weapon. For this expedition, he had begged and pleaded and finally borrowed the sword from Wen Desi. At this time, he was swaggering by the side of the column, leading the team that was preparing to besiege Chengmai.

More than three hundred militiamen had machetes stuck in their waists and held long spears. Some were pushing handcarts, and some were carrying bows and arrows and old-fashioned muskets. Three mountain howitzers were mixed in the team, and each gun was being pulled by seven or eight young men. If it weren’t for the neat formation of the infantry company, they would have looked like a group of bandits.

“Little Wei!” You Laohu saw him and slung the big sword over his shoulder. “Are you going to do land reform again? Are you a long-term laborer or a beggar this time?”

“Are you leading this group of people to be bandits?” Wei Aiwen was not to be outdone. “Can you even use that sword? Don’t just carry it all the way to Chengmai.”

“This time when I go to Chengmai, I’ll chop off a few heads and give this sword a taste of blood,” You Laohu said. “Otherwise, what’s the point of it being a decoration at Old Wen’s place?”

Wei Aiwen led the team back to Bairen, where Wu De had already made all the preparations. The house-raiding team of the Planning Institute had assembled, and the militia had also been mobilized with carts to prepare to transport supplies.

The official name of the garrison in Lingao was the Rear Thousand-Household Post under the command of the Neifuwei Five-Thousand-Household Post. There were two garrisons. One was near Nanbao, which was the official thousand-household post city, and the other was not far from Gaoshanling. Both were fortified city-and-fortress buildings. Although they were old, because of the long-term threat of Li rebellions in the local area, both garrisons had been repaired to a certain extent, with sufficient weapons and even firearms. Their defensive state was better than that of the garrisons in the interior.

The Transmigration Group had long been aware of the situation of the garrison. The thousand-household post city had more than a hundred military households, with more than five hundred men, women, and children. The other one only had thirty or forty military households.

There was no resistance in taking over the various garrisons and large camps. The military households originally did not have many able-bodied men, and they had not been trained for a long time. They were living in poverty and had no fighting spirit. The Australians had been in Lingao for a long time, and everyone knew that they were benevolent and fair. If they surrendered in time, they would not only not lose their lives, but also live a better life than now. So when Wei Aiwen led his troops to appear under the city walls, they immediately surrendered. The people from the Planning Institute took over the weapons, supplies, and livestock, and at the same time counted the population. As for the soldiers in the two Li-suppressing camps, Wei Aiwen only arrested all the officers, appointed a few prestigious soldiers to temporarily take charge, and led the soldiers to continue to be stationed locally, awaiting reorganization.

But in the city of the Neifuwei Rear Thousand-Household Post, a small-scale battle occurred. When the infantry company led by Wei Aiwen advanced to the foot of the city wall, the rear post’s Thousand-Household Liu, with a few personal guards, first closed the fortress gate, and then forced all the able-bodied men in the fortress to mount the fortress to defend.

Wei Aiwen did not expect the garrison to dare to resist. He immediately called a native clerk from the special search team of the Planning Institute who could speak the military dialect to shout at them, asking them to immediately open the gate and surrender.

Thousand-Household Liu shouted from the top of the fortress gate: “You and I have always kept to our own affairs! I have never interfered with you! You don’t provoke me either! This is a place established by the court. If you take this fortress, you are raising the banner of rebellion, and the court will send a large army to suppress you…”

Wei Aiwen was furious when he heard this and said to the person who was shouting: “You tell the military households on the city wall to quickly arrest the official and open the fortress gate to surrender, otherwise if we break the fortress, no one will be spared!”

The city wall was immediately in an uproar. The military households were unwilling to fight—this was not a life-and-death struggle with the Li people. They usually knew that the Australians were not fond of killing and plundering, and treated their subordinates with great generosity. Even if they had to muddle along under them, it would not be worse than under the thousand-household and hundred-household commanders.

“Who dares to move, who dares to move?” Thousand-Household Liu roared, brandishing his large sword. His personal guards behind him also shouted. Although he was just a small thousand-household, his family had been officials here for generations, and because of the need to suppress the Li, he had not neglected his martial arts. His accumulated prestige was still there. The military households, being reprimanded by his stern face, did not dare to make a sound.

Seeing no movement on the city wall, Wei Aiwen was annoyed. His company had marksmen who could kill Thousand-Household Liu with one shot. But he secretly hoped that someone among the military households would take the initiative to resist, and it would be best if an armed conflict occurred. This would make it much easier to carry out political education in the future. The military households would also be completely disillusioned with the government.

“Shout!” Wei Aiwen’s face was livid. “Thousand-Household Liu can’t even take care of himself. Let the military households not die for him and rise up in resistance quickly! What good is it for the ordinary military households if he is a thousand-household?”

The city wall was in an uproar with the shouting. The military households were originally unwilling to risk their lives. Now, under the series of incitements by Wei Aiwen and others, many people felt that it was not worth it to risk their lives to defend the fortress for the master, and this fortress could not be defended anyway.

Seeing that the situation was not right, Thousand-Household Liu, while cursing and threatening, had no choice but to shout: “This is a place established by the court. The bandits dare not to attack! Everyone, fight hard to defend the fortress. Anyone who does not exert himself and makes a commotion will be beheaded. Those who exert themselves will be rewarded with one tael of silver!”

However, this reward could no longer hold the hearts of the people. Suddenly, someone threw down their sword and spear and ran down the city wall. In an instant, the defenders, who were already not of one mind, scattered in all directions, and all of them threw down their weapons and ran down the city wall.

The personal guards immediately brandished their swords and hacked randomly, killing a fleeing military household. However, this not only did not help, but also aroused the anger of the crowd. Someone then turned around and attacked them. The personal guards around the thousand-household were outnumbered and almost all were killed. The thousand-household himself was protected by his remaining family retainers and fled down the city wall. The military households immediately began to kill randomly in the fortress. The hundred-households, personal guards, family retainers, and managers who usually lorded it over them were also pursued and killed. The military households pulled out the male relatives of their enemies and cut off their heads one by one. The female relatives were pulled out and raped, and then killed. The fortress was immediately in chaos.

Wei Aiwen was very calm and did not rush to enter the fortress. He guessed that there was a riot in the fortress, and only hoped that the riot would be bigger. If the military households killed the court officials, they would have no choice but to follow them wholeheartedly. At this time, a group of military households had already opened the fortress gate, lowered the drawbridge, and shouted outwards: “Enter the city quickly! Enter the city quickly!”

Lin Fu drew his command sword and looked back at Wei Aiwen. He saw Wei Aiwen nod. He immediately shouted loudly: “The whole company, charge!” He himself was the first to charge up. Before the bugler could sound the horn, the whole company was already rushing forward behind him.

He led the infantry company to quickly enter the city. Although this was his first time here, the intelligence department had already drawn a clear structural map and handed it to him. Lin Fu had already assigned the tasks of each platoon and squad. As soon as the troops entered the city, they dispersed according to the predetermined plan and occupied all the important places such as the granary and the stables. At the same time, someone was specially assigned to beat a gong to order the military households to lay down their weapons and await orders. Some of the military households who were in a frenzy of killing and continued to kill were all captured and killed.

The order in the fortress was quickly restored. Only then did Wei Aiwen lead the other personnel into the city. Corpses could be seen from time to time on the streets and at the corners of the walls. Wei Aiwen came to the martial arts hall in the center of the city. The disarmed able-bodied military households were all sitting on the ground waiting to be dealt with.

Lin Fu came to report that the entire fortress was already under control, and order had been restored. Several fires had also been extinguished.