Chapter Eighty-Five: Encounter Battle

The post road began to gradually turn inland from the seaside, and they walked for a long time. He Rubin saw that the sun was already setting in the west, and estimated that it was already early afternoon. He looked around. Far and near were undulating hills and mountains. Not far from the post road was a small mountain, lush with grass and trees. He pulled on the reins and rode his horse to a small slope by the side of the post road. His personal guards and generals quickly followed.

He was riding a fine Mongolian horse, which was very spirited. The saddle, bridle, and stirrups were all made of brass. Before setting out, his personal guards had polished them to a shine, and they were very dazzling under the sunlight. He held the reins in his left hand and a whip in his right, watching the endless stream of troops and banners advancing beside him. A sense of satisfaction filled his chest.

“Commandant Tang!” he called out.

“I am here, my lord!”

“How far is it from Chengmai?”

“To answer your question, garrison commander, it is still thirty li,” Tang Yunwen said on horseback, cupping his hands. “This place is called Shishan.”

He Rubin glanced at this small mountain. It was about a hundred zhang from the post road. It was a good place to control the post road. If the bandits had ambushed troops here, he would have to go through a bitter battle to pass. But the scouts had just scouted the area, and there were no ambush troops here.

“The bandits don’t know how to fight,” He Rubin commented. “If they set up a camp here and sent people to guard it, our army would have to first take this mountain before we could continue to advance.”

“What your lordship says is absolutely right,” Chang Qingyun’s face was covered with dust, and his buttocks were sore, but he still followed He Rubin’s main force and was not in the main camp. He just hoped to be able to say a few words at such a time to show his insight and his attitude of “diligence and loyalty.”

“This terrain is important. Set up a grain station here!” He Rubin ordered.

The strategy for the suppression was a long siege. The supply of provisions for more than 20,000 men was a very important matter. The most convenient sea route for transport was blocked by the bandits’ “strong ships and fast cannons,” so it was impossible to transport grain. Land transport was always quite troublesome, regardless of the distance, especially since the condition of the post roads in Hainan was terrible. It was very difficult to rely on the conscripted civilian laborers to carry grain on their shoulders and push it in carts for hundreds of li. Therefore, the Ming army adopted a model of setting up grain stations section by section and transshipping layer by layer.

Shishan had a certain topographical advantage, and the distance was moderate. It was one of the best places to set up a transshipment grain station.

He then ordered a thousand-household commander to lead five hundred soldiers to set up a camp here, establish a grain station, and be responsible for transshipping grain. He also planned to set up a second transshipment grain station in Chengmai County town after lifting the siege of Chengmai. In this way, a grain station would be set up every forty or fifty li, with soldiers stationed to guard it. Not only could grain and fodder be continuously transported to the army, but it could also ensure the safety of his rear.

The main army then camped at Shishan. There were bandit troops outside Chengmai County town. He Rubin decided to rest here for a night to let the soldiers rest and recuperate, and then go to Chengmai the next day, so as not to be unable to resist the bandits who were waiting for them at their leisure. A small defeat under the city would have a very bad effect on morale.

“Tomorrow afternoon, our army will arrive at the foot of Chengmai County town,” He Rubin said to the generals and staff at the evening meeting. “According to the report from Chengmai, the bandits have already started to build an earthen enclosure under the city, and have also set up a camp, with about two thousand men and cannons. The defense must be strong. Our army must take it in one go and not suffer any setbacks!”

“Yes!” all the generals replied loudly.

Zhao Ruyi said: “The local officials are good at hiding their faults and embellishing their merits. They always exaggerate the number of rebels and bandits by ten or even dozens of times. Even if there are two thousand people in his camp, most of them are coerced common people. Our army will surely take it in one go.”

“What your lordship says is absolutely right. However, it is still better to be cautious,” He Rubin asked the central army garrison commander Ye Zhengfang, “General Ye, bring the latest report from Chengmai.”

Ye Zhengfang said: “To answer your question, my lord, the report from Chengmai has not arrived for three or four days. I’m afraid the bandits have already surrounded the whole city and cut off the traffic.”

“Then we must be even more cautious!” He Rubin felt a vague sense of unease in his heart. “Send more scouts tomorrow!”

The sun was beating down on their heads, hot and scorching.

Expectant Company Commander Zhong Xiao took off his hot helmet from his head for the countless time. He stopped his horse in the shade of a tree by the side of a small road, and the few cavalrymen behind him followed.

“Company commander, why have we stopped?” one of his brothers asked.

“What’s the point of walking? It’s so hot. This damn place! Let’s rest for a while!” Zhong Xiao cursed. His armor was not only hot but also heavy under the sun, and the leather-connected parts constantly gave off a disgusting smell. He was ordered to lead a few brothers as scouts to scout for enemy activity at any time.

He felt much better after taking off his helmet. He couldn’t help but sigh. This war was really a difficult thing. Not to mention being scared, just this march had almost killed him.

“Company commander, let me take this helmet,” a personal guard with the surname Xu said fawningly.

“Alright, take it,” Zhong Xiao threw the helmet into his hand. “I’ll relax a bit! In this damn place, I can’t even find someone to ask for a drink of water.”

They had just drunk all the water they had brought. For a while, they couldn’t see any place to replenish their water.

“There’s water here,” the personal guard Xu quickly handed over a bamboo tube. “I brought a few extra before we set out today. You are our backbone, and you can’t have any mishaps.”

“Good boy, you’re really capable!” Zhong Xiao praised. The other soldiers cursed him silently in their hearts for being shameless—this person always had a smiling face and served the company commander like a master, making him very comfortable. He had gained a lot of benefits for himself.

Zhong Xiao’s small team of cavalry, separated from the main unit, left the post road and set off south to patrol and scout for any signs of enemy activity.

They walked for more than ten li in one go. Along the way, apart from occasionally seeing a few peasants working in the fields, they didn’t see a single person. He wanted to catch a few peasants to ask questions, but as soon as the peasants saw the government soldiers in helmets and armor, they immediately fled, rolling and crawling. It was difficult for the horses to chase them in the paddy fields, which only made him curse.

Since he couldn’t catch any peasants to ask questions, he had no choice but to lead his brothers slowly on horseback. Having been used to staying in the densely populated Guangdong, he felt that this place was unusually desolate. There were uncultivated wastelands everywhere, and villages were sparse along the way. When they encountered a few villages, the people inside had long since fled with their valuables.

“Where are the traces of the bandits!” Zhong Xiao cursed. “They are probably all in Bopu eating, drinking, and having fun, sleeping with young girls!”

“What the company commander says is right!” the personal guard with the surname Xu echoed. “How dare the bandits come out to fight? They only dare to fire their firearms from a distance.”

“Let’s go, let’s go and have a look at the woods on the hill over there!” Zhong Xiao had drunk some water and his spirits were much refreshed.

“Southeast direction, 4 o’clock, 500 meters, five enemy cavalry! Moving northwest!” a scout observing from a large tree reported in a low voice.

Chen Sigen had originally been a little sleepy—hearing the report, he slowly turned his body and moved to the observation position. He and three scouts had been ambushing in a concealed trench on this small hill since last night, observing the surrounding movements.

The order given to him was to eliminate all government army teams of less than ten people that appeared within their patrol range. For suspicious persons, even if they were not in government army attire, they could be captured and killed.

Due to the lack of mobility, the special reconnaissance team’s screening patrol could only rely on two legs. Although the special reconnaissance team members were several times stronger than ordinary people in terms of physical strength and endurance, it was still quite difficult to intercept small groups of reconnaissance cavalry in a wide area.

Bei Wei decided to adopt a system of dividing the area into sections. Each four people formed a small team, and every two teams were responsible for a small area. The two teams took turns to conduct concealed ambushes and armed patrols. The small teams used walkie-talkies to maintain contact with each other and report the situation at any time. If they encountered an enemy at a long distance beyond the range of the SKS rifle’s firepower or a large number of government troops, they would only report their movements, and a special mobile team would deal with them—the mobile team was composed of motorcycles and agricultural vehicles equipped with machine guns.

Chen Sigen led his men to choose a commanding height here and set up an observation post. A soldier was observing the surrounding situation with a telescope from the branches and leaves at the top of a large tree.

He took out his own binoculars and observed according to the sentry’s instructions: 500 meters away, there were indeed five Ming army cavalrymen walking listlessly. Their armor, the helmets hanging on their saddles, and their sabers all indicated their identity.

“Don’t be anxious, they are walking towards us. Open fire when they are at 100 meters,” Chen Sigen ordered. “Inform the people of the 1st team! Tell them to be careful.”

Seeing that the five enemy cavalrymen had already walked to within 100 meters of him, Chen Sigen made a “prepare to fire” gesture, then brought the SKS in his hand to his eye and carefully aimed at the officer-like knight at the head.

Just as Zhong Xiao was once again looking into the distance, a crisp gunshot sounded in his ear.

A bullet flew past his ear. Zhong Xiao was shocked: there was a bandit ambush here! He didn’t dare to think much, and quickly turned his horse’s head, preparing to escape.

At this time, several more gunshots rang out, and the two cavalrymen beside him fell off their horses. The personal guard Xu, who had been talking nonsense just now, was now lying on the ground, half of his back head was blown off, and blood and brain matter were flowing all over the ground. Zhong Xiao was so scared that he almost fell off his horse.

“Let’s go!” His body bent low, he hugged the horse’s neck, and whipped the horse’s buttocks.

“Bastard!” Chen Sigen cursed, quickly adjusted by half a mil, and pulled the trigger again.

This bullet accurately hit Zhong Xiao’s shoulder blade, sending his body forward with a jolt. The bullet came out of his mouth, and the huge impact tore off half of his lower jaw. The body fell from the horse to the muddy ground.

The other two cavalrymen turned their horses’ heads in a panic to escape. The bullets quickly caught up with them, and the two men were shot and fell off their horses one after another.

“What a pity!” Chen Sigen looked at the two riderless warhorses that had fled in panic and couldn’t help but curse. These were all Mongolian horses, which were rare in this area!

“Quick, pull the horses back, and drag the bodies into the ditch!” he then ordered. “Report, B12 area has eliminated five Ming army reconnaissance cavalry.”

The special reconnaissance team’s screening of the Ming army’s scouts quickly caused the government army to lose all news. He Rubin sent out several more batches of scouts, but none of them returned. After walking for more than ten li like this, not a single scout returned. He felt that something was wrong and ordered the entire army to stop advancing.

“How far is it from Chengmai County town?”

The answer was that it was still twelve li away. He Rubin felt hesitant. From his experience, the sudden disappearance of his mounted couriers meant that the enemy’s reconnaissance cavalry was also actively active, trying their best to prevent him from getting the other side’s movements.

It seemed that the enemy did not intend to be obediently besieged by him in Lingao, but was preparing for a major battle with him under the city of Chengmai.

“These bandits are not easy to deal with,” he felt worried for the first time. Didn’t the bandits lack cavalry? It was impossible to eliminate all the scouts he had sent out with just infantry and not let a single one return.

The generals were all waiting for his orders. In another hour and a half, it would be dark. The 20,000-strong army and its supplies were still on the road. If they could not reach Chengmai before dark, they would have to camp on the spot—there was no time for him to hesitate.

“General Tong!” he ordered. “You immediately send three hundred cavalry to Chengmai, and another five hundred infantry to follow at a run. Set up a camp outside Chengmai County town before dark to receive the main army!”

Seeing the grave expression on the commander’s face, Tong Yizhen knew that there was a military danger at this moment. He immediately sent Thousand-Household Commander He Zhanran to lead three hundred cavalry to gallop towards Chengmai County town. To be on the safe side, he did not send five hundred infantry, but personally led his family retainers and one thousand infantry to follow closely behind.

The special reconnaissance team members of Ye Mengyan’s detachment, who were providing screening on the post road, saw more than three hundred cavalry coming at once. They knew that they could not resist with their small forces of four men per team scattered around, so they let the cavalry pass.

“A large group of enemy troops is coming. Three or four hundred cavalry!” Ye Mengyan shouted into the walkie-talkie. “There is a lot of dust behind them, and there are more troops coming.”

“Don’t engage them. The whole team should withdraw from the screening area while harassing and firing. Let the enemy go to the county town!”

“Understood!”

Ye Mengyan raised his SKS rifle and pulled the trigger at the cavalry galloping on the road. Then the team members beside him also opened fire one after another.

Amidst the shrill sound of gunfire, cavalrymen were constantly shot and fell from their horses. This sudden shooting shocked He Zhanran, because he had not seen any sign of anyone firing a musket. But from the sound of the gunfire, he knew that the other side did not have many people, at most thirty or forty. They must be trying to harass and delay his troops’ advance. He shouted, “Charge with me!” and immediately, regardless of the fact that people were constantly being shot and falling from their horses, he rushed straight towards Chengmai County town.

The three or four small teams of Ye Mengyan’s detachment fired a volley from both sides of the road, causing He Zhanran to lose more than twenty cavalrymen on the post road. Ye Mengyan had originally wanted to set up another ambush, but the Ming army’s infantry behind had already swarmed over the mountains and fields. Hearing the gunshots in front, Tong Yizhen judged that the enemy had already deployed and ordered the infantry to spread out and form a formation. He himself personally led dozens of mounted family retainers to charge at the front.

Ye Mengyan had originally thought that the enemy was not much, and they were simply no match for the SKS rifle. Now, seeing the ground covered with Ming army infantry, with banners unfurled and swords and spears like a forest, his heart pounded wildly. Damn it! This is too spectacular! He thought that even if he had a machine gun now, he probably couldn’t hold them off—there were too many people!

“Quick! Retreat!” He immediately ordered the entire detachment to retreat. He raised his SKS-D rifle, did not aim, and fired a full 20-round magazine at the surging Ming army behind him, then quickly got into a ditch and fled.

The retreat route of the special reconnaissance team had been scouted in advance, and they tried to use the terrain to avoid the enemy’s pursuit. Because the weapons used by the special reconnaissance team all fired smokeless powder bullets, and all members were equipped with camouflage uniforms, it was difficult for the Ming army to identify their positions in the wilderness.

Tong Yizhen’s troops had lost more than a dozen men in the last blocking fire from Ye Mengyan’s squad, including one of his personal generals who was also killed. The enemy’s invisible shooting made him very afraid. But the troops behind were constantly surging forward, so he had to bite the bullet and lead his men to rush towards the county town.

Hearing the gunshots and shouts of killing in front, He Rubin knew that the vanguard had already engaged the enemy. He quickly ordered the guerrilla commander Li Guang, who was in command of the standard battalion, to quickly lead the standard battalion to reinforce them. He personally led his family retainers and the town standard to follow behind.

“Tell General Yan to hold back the rear troops and advance slowly. Don’t let them fall into chaos themselves!”

The rear troops not only had a large amount of supplies, but also village braves and local garrison troops. These troops were very unreliable and would scramble to flee at the slightest sign of wavering. So he gave special instructions. After giving the order, he personally led his family retainers to follow closely behind Li Guang’s troops.

He Zhanran’s cavalry was the first to arrive outside the south gate of Chengmai and occupied the empty camp abandoned by You Laohu. The light infantry who had been carrying out blocking fire outside the various city gates had already withdrawn from their positions and retreated towards the main camp in the northwest of the city.

Seeing that more than three hundred infantry were retreating, and had only walked less than two or three li, He Zhanran quickly led his cavalry to charge over.

The 1st light infantry company of the 1st infantry battalion, commanded by Yang Zeng, was the first to withdraw from the position, but the 5th light infantry company received the order more than ten minutes late. In order to receive the 5th light infantry company, Yang Zeng, who was commanding the blockade under the city, waited a little longer halfway, and as a result, he was caught by the rapidly approaching cavalry of the Ming army.

Seeing that the cavalry was already rolling in, Yang Zeng immediately drew his command sword and roared the order: “Fix bayonets! Square formation!”

The military drums beat rapidly.

The 1st light infantry company, which was originally retreating, immediately turned around and stood at the front. The 5th light infantry company was divided into two, with half of the soldiers deployed on each side. The 3rd light infantry company was behind them.

Yang Zeng found that there were not enough infantry on the left and right flanks. He was afraid that the firepower on the flanks would be too weak and be broken through by the enemy, so he immediately ordered the front and rear companies to each send a platoon to the flanks.

Because the number of people was small, the square formation was simply arranged in three ranks deep on each side. The first rank knelt on one knee in front, with their bayoneted rifles pointing diagonally upwards. The two ranks behind held their rifles at the ready, ready to fire at any time.

This series of maneuvers took less than three minutes, and the enemy had already charged to the front of the square formation in an instant. The force of the cavalry’s full-speed charge caused the soldiers, who had been trained countless times in infantry-cavalry confrontation, to also begin to waver.

Just at this critical moment, Yang Zeng shouted: “Sights to zero!” His command sword swung down, “Fire!”