Chapter 94: Standoff

“Double canister! Fire!” At the artillery officer’s command, the two 12-pounder mountain howitzers fired simultaneously, their shots mingling with the infantry’s volleys. A storm of projectiles swept across the entire enemy line, and this charge, too, collapsed without suspense.

Sha Jianbi led his central division in two more fierce attacks on the 1st Infantry Battalion, but each time they were repulsed. He watched as the government army’s formations gradually fell into disarray. Many soldiers were no longer willing to charge into the rebels’ guns, defying their officers’ orders. Some even drew their swords. One of his lieutenants, who had tried to rally the troops, was dragged from his horse and killed.

He panted heavily, feeling that the situation was hopeless. The only option now was to retreat quickly to a safe place and wait for reinforcements. Once the two forces joined, they could make a new plan. He ordered the horns to be blown, signaling for the units to retreat and regroup.

Just as he was about to retreat, Zhu Mingxia, who had been waiting for this opportunity, immediately ordered the 4th Battalion, which was lying in ambush behind the mountain, to repeat its previous tactic. They suddenly charged out, sweeping the flank of the government army.

The already shaken army was suddenly attacked by this fresh force. Many soldiers, after a brief resistance, turned and fled. This flight was contagious. The organized and orderly retreat of the government troops came to an end, followed by chaos as everyone scrambled to escape, trampling each other. The fleeing soldiers not only abandoned their flags and weapons but also their helmets.

Sha Jianbi cut down several soldiers but still couldn’t stop the terrifying collapse of the entire line. He had no choice but to abandon his men and flee, no longer thinking about the consequences of losing his army or the punishment that awaited him. He fled with a few dozen personal guards.

The government troops fled so quickly that the 4th Infantry Battalion could barely encircle them. They only managed to intercept a portion of the enemy. A loudspeaker constantly blared, “Those who surrender will be spared!” Many were exhausted and could only drop their weapons and kneel on the ground to surrender.

Zhu Mingxia personally led the pursuit for two or three kilometers, capturing several hundred more exhausted soldiers and a great deal of supplies and armor before finally calling off the chase. He quickly regrouped his troops.

“Beat the assembly drum! Regroup the troops.”

The drummers quickly formed a line and began to beat their drums. Ten minutes later, the scattered troops began to converge on the banner from all directions.

The special reconnaissance team was already warning him: the enemy’s follow-up force was not far away.

He considered for a moment. The enemy’s reinforcements were approaching. According to the reconnaissance report, there were two thousand of them. If he continued the same defensive counterattack pattern, his soldiers, who had been fighting continuously since morning, would be exhausted and low on ammunition. Another battle might not be as easy as the previous two. Moreover, they were currently clearing the battlefield and capturing prisoners at the foot of Shishan. If the government army committed fresh troops, all these activities would have to be halted.

Considering this, he made a decisive decision: he would lead the 4th Battalion to directly engage the reinforcements, pursuing the routed soldiers and using them to disrupt the enemy’s lines, then immediately engage in battle to crush their entire force.

He watched as his troops finished assembling, then called Xiong Maozhang on the walkie-talkie:

“I’m going to engage the follow-up force. You quickly take your men to capture prisoners and clear the battlefield!”

With that, he immediately led the entire battalion, shouting, and charged down the post road in the direction of Sha Jianbi’s rout.

Sha Jianbi had retreated more than ten li with his routed troops. He thought the enemy had stopped their pursuit and was about to regroup his men and join Li Guang’s reinforcements when he heard the sounds of fighting and shouting from his rear again, especially the rebels’ characteristic horns and small drums. He knew that if he ran now, not only would his entire force be annihilated, but Li Guang’s two thousand men would also be thrown into chaos by his own fleeing troops. He immediately ordered his banner to be raised on a small hill by the post road and personally led his household retainers and personal guards to rally his men.

But the sounds of gunfire and fighting from the rear were getting closer. The demoralized government soldiers were unwilling to continue fighting and scattered. Sha Jianbi cut down several deserters but still couldn’t stop the rout. In his desperation, he saw Cao Xiangjiao, covered in blood, retreating from the rear. His vanguard had been completely routed after a short time, and he had only escaped from the paddy fields thanks to the desperate efforts of a few of his personal guards. He had just managed to gather some men on the road when he heard the sound of the enemy’s pursuit. He had led his men back to resist, but they were quickly defeated. Cao Xiangjiao was wounded by a bullet and had struggled to escape to this point.

“General, flee quickly!” Cao Xiangjiao shouted. “The rebels are catching up again! I will hold them off here for a while longer!” With that, he shouted and charged back with his saber.

Sha Jianbi wanted to hold on a little longer, but the soldiers around him were already in disarray. They didn’t wait for his orders and simply swarmed around him, fleeing to the rear.

Cao Xiangjiao stood on the post road for a moment with his personal guards, watching the tide of defeated soldiers flow past him. When the road was empty, he led his few remaining guards, abandoned his banner, and fled into the small woods by the roadside.

Zhu Mingxia’s pursuit prevented the routed government troops from ever stopping to regroup. They fled for another seven or eight li, completely overwhelming the two thousand men brought by Li Guang. Li Guang tried to rally his men but was swept up in the chaos and forced to retreat towards Chengmai. Zhu Mingxia’s troops pursued relentlessly, chasing them for another five or six li and capturing a large number of prisoners.

The series of battles around Shishan had resulted in heavy losses for the government army. Not only had they lost a large amount of armor, weapons, and horses, but of the seven thousand men sent to reinforce Shishan in three waves, fewer than three thousand had returned. The rest were either dead on the battlefield or captured by the rebels. They had also lost an Adjutant-General. This completely debunked the prevailing view among the generals and aides that “the rebels are not skilled in field battles.” The large number of routed soldiers fleeing back to the camp caused morale in the Chengmai fortress to plummet. Many generals and officers were already packing their belongings, preparing to flee for their lives. The camp was filled with noise and chaos. He Rubin and Zhao Ruyi did their best to restore order, sending men to console and suppress the troops, and gathering all the defeated soldiers into a separate camp to prevent them from spreading rumors.

Ye Zhengfang, who was in charge of suppression, executed more than twenty soldiers and junior officers who were inciting desertion. He Rubin’s own garrison and household retainers, who had not suffered any losses, remained calm, and the once-chaotic atmosphere in the main camp finally stabilized.

He Rubin gathered all the main generals in his tent for a meeting to discuss their strategy. Some of the generals advocated for an immediate full retreat to the east, breaking through the lines at Shishan and returning to Qiongshan to rest and regroup. Others advocated for holding their ground and sending another force to attack Shishan the next day. Sha Jianbi believed that the rebels were short on troops. The force defending Shishan was actually no more than two thousand men. If they sent five thousand men to attack at once, while also ordering the garrison in Qiongshan to attack from the front and rear, they could completely force the rebels to abandon Shishan.

But not everyone agreed with this assessment. They had already sent seven thousand men that day and had been soundly defeated. What good would another five thousand do?

“Today, our army was guilty of underestimating the enemy,” He Rubin said. “The units of General Yan, General Sha, and General Li were committed to the battle in three separate waves. Each time, our forces did not have a numerical advantage. The enemy defended their fortified positions with their firearms, fighting with well-rested troops. Our soldiers, on the other hand, were exhausted from a long march and fought on an empty stomach. They were already at a disadvantage, which is why we could not break the enemy.”

He Rubin’s assessment of the battlefield situation was quite accurate. He was well aware that his impatience had led him to make the mistake of “feeding in reinforcements piecemeal.” He was unwilling to retreat now. If he retreated to Qiongshan, the rebels would surely return and capture Chengmai. He would have lost his army, lost territory, and lost a high-ranking general. The consequences would be unimaginable.

Therefore, he strongly advocated for holding their ground and continuing to send a large force to reopen the connection with Qiongshan. He estimated that the rebels had limited troops and supplies and could not afford to divide their forces for long. If they could maintain a stalemate, the rebels would inevitably have to withdraw from Shishan.

A check of the supplies revealed that there was enough grain in the camp for more than ten days, and the granaries in Chengmai County also had a considerable amount of grain. In total, the entire army could hold out for half a month.

“But the grain…” Zhao Ruyi asked with some doubt. A half-month supply of grain was by no means reassuring.

“In the next three to five days, we will focus all our efforts on reopening the supply line!” He Rubin said. “If necessary, we will transport grain by sea!”

“The rebels’ navy is powerful. I’m afraid that won’t be easy.”

“This is a backup plan,” He Rubin said, then called out:

“General Tang!”

Tang Yunwen knew that this “good errand” would inevitably fall to him. He immediately stepped forward and answered, “Here, sir!”

“Can the navy transport grain from Qiongshan?”

Tang Yunwen dared not say “no.” He could only say, “It can be done, but my fleet has not had sufficient funds for repairs for years, and we do not have many seaworthy ships…”

“There are still sealed merchant ships and fishing boats in Haikou. you can commandeer them all.”

“Yes, sir!” Tang Yunwen said. “Please give me the order arrow, and I will immediately send men back to handle it.”

He Rubin said, “No, you will go back and handle it personally. I will give you ten days. You must deliver the grain! Otherwise, do not blame me for reporting you by name for severe punishment!”

“Yes, sir! I will not fail in my mission!” Tang Yunwen was both happy and worried. He was happy to be escaping this deathtrap—unlike the other generals and aides, he was fully aware of the strength of the rebels’ military and was certain that the government army would be defeated. He was worried because although supplying grain by sea was not impossible, he was not confident that he could do it within ten days. If the government army was defeated, his failure to deliver the grain on time would become He Rubin’s excuse for shifting the blame. He would have no way to defend himself.

That night, Tang Yunwen took a few of his personal attendants and quietly boarded a fishing boat at Xiaoyingchang. Under the cover of darkness, he sailed along the coast towards Qiongshan. His troops were left under the command of Chen Renjie, the captain of Baishazhai.

To receive the grain from the sea, He Rubin decided to reoccupy Xiaoyingchang. This time, the government troops had learned their lesson. They not only sent two thousand men but also reinforced them with many firearms, preparing for a fight to the death.

For the next two or three days, the entire government army remained quiet, not venturing out of their camp to fight. He Rubin only urged his generals to continue building fortifications and reorganizing their units. He planned to rest for a few days and then personally lead a large force, with his own garrison and household retainers as the main body, to crush the entire rebel force at Shishan in one blow, retake the mountain, and re-establish the supply line.

The camp was bustling with activity, a grim atmosphere hanging over it. But in a courtyard in Chengmai County, the scene was quite different. This was the residence of the county’s wealthiest man, a man surnamed Song, who also held the title of jiansheng. When the Fubo Army besieged Chengmai, he had contributed the most to the defense of the city. When the government army arrived, he had also been very accommodating, offering a portion of his private residence for the high-ranking officials to use. The generals, wanting to maintain control of their troops and show that they were “sharing weal and woe” with their soldiers, had declined, so only the civilian officials and aides had moved in. The jiansheng Song also used these aides as a “talisman” and was very attentive in his hospitality.

At this time, Chang Qingyun, Qian Taichong, and a dozen or so other aides with whom they were on good terms were drinking tea and enjoying the cool evening in the garden of the residence, accompanied by their host, Song Zonghui. This jiansheng was quite cultured and had some money. His residence was adorned with a few rockeries and springs, giving it a touch of the charm of a garden, which was very rare in this southern region.

Because they were on a military campaign, the aides dared not openly summon courtesans for entertainment. They simply set up a few tables in the garden with tea, fruit, and snacks, and chatted under the moonlight.

Because the war was not going well, several high-ranking generals had been lost, and the supply line had been cut, the army was in a very dangerous situation. Except for a few who could still eat and drink freely and joke as usual, most of the aides were worried. The optimistic atmosphere from their time in Qiongshan had vanished.

Many of them realized that this expedition against the rebels had failed, though no one dared to say it openly. Some still refused to admit that the rebels’ abilities went beyond “strange skills and clever contraptions.” Even after the Fubo Army had repeatedly defeated three government forces in the field at Shishan, they still attributed it to “objective factors” like the “treacherous terrain of Shishan.” As for whether Shishan was actually “treacherous” and how the battle had been fought, they were not interested.

Qian Taichong was more pragmatic than these people. He had recently been attending the military councils in the main tent and had also personally visited the junior officers who had participated in the battle. From them, he had learned a great deal of firsthand information. He knew that the rebels not only had excellent firearms but also had well-organized and disciplined formations, and they fought no less bravely than the government army. He felt that this was a great enemy, because the pirates and bandits in Guangdong in the past had never had such a force. The rebels were somewhat like the Franks, but neither the Franks nor the red-haired barbarians could concentrate so many troops and engage in offensive and defensive field battles with the court’s main army.

At this time, he was pestering Gou Chengxuan, asking him to talk about the rebels, especially their firearms, which were a matter of great concern to Qian Taichong and the others. Gou Chengxuan had no choice but to tell them everything he knew, especially about the rebels’ muskets and cannons. Because the technological gap was so great, he could not give Qian Taichong and the others a truly impactful understanding.

“So, the rebels’ firearms are mostly made in Lin Gao?” Qian Taichong asked seriously.

“Exactly,” Gou Chengxuan nodded. “Cannons, muskets, ammunition, everything.”

“The Hongyi cannons made by the Westerners since the Tianqi era have been a great asset to the state. I never thought the rebels’ cannons could be so advanced,” an aide sighed. “Exploding projectiles are not unheard of; I have read about them in the Wubei Zhi. But projectiles that can explode in the air are truly unheard of.”

“Whether the so-called ‘heaven-shaking, earth-shattering, fierce-fire cannons’ in the Wubei Zhi actually worked, only heaven knows,” Qian Taichong said with a snort. “They haven’t been seen since the Jiajing era’s armory made them.”

“In my humble opinion, this type of exploding cannon is nothing more than the ‘fierce-fire cannons’ of the Song and Yuan dynasties, or our dynasty’s ‘enemy-of-ten-thousand.’ The only difference is that they used to be launched by trebuchets, and now they are fired from cannons,” Chang Qingyun, who also knew something about firearms, immediately added. “As for the cannons made in the West, they are merely a legacy of the fire lances of the great Song dynasty…”

“‘Merely,’ ‘only,’ you say it again and again, but why do we still need Westerners to help us make cannons!” Qian Taichong slammed his hand on the table, agitated. “Now the rebels’ guns and cannons are even more advanced than the Westerners’. What can we do but wring our hands!”

Everyone was taken aback, not understanding why the scholar was so agitated. Qian Taichong probably realized he had lost his composure, so he took a sip of tea and fell silent.

An older aide said, “Although the rebels’ firearms are sharp, they only have one county. They are not a major concern. What is most worrying is that their subordinate ‘fake rebels’ are willing to risk their lives for them, braving the hail of arrows and stones. This kind of ability to bewitch the hearts of men is the real threat to the court.”

Then everyone lamented for a while about how “petty people are driven by profit” and the “decline of public morals.”

Qian Taichong said in a firm tone, “However, the current problems are by no means limited to these few! In my humble opinion, it is better to treat the root cause than to treat the symptoms. The so-called root is ‘civilization’…”

He spoke with great enthusiasm for a long time, sparking a discussion among the aides. Some talked about “qi” and “heart,” others about Wang Yangming’s “School of the Mind.” Just as they were getting into the spirit of the conversation, a mournful horn blast sounded from outside the city, shaking the heavens and interrupting their discussion. Only then did they realize that their conversation at this time was not only ridiculous but also absurd.

Chang Qingyun came back to his “water mine” method of defeating the enemy. In his view, the rebels’ fast ships and ironclads would be reduced to ashes by his “River-Mixing Dragon.” Once the rebel navy was destroyed, the supply line could be opened immediately.

“Let the rebels occupy Shishan if they want. When the tens of thousands of jin of grain are exhausted, the rebels’ three thousand men will be an isolated force and will fall into chaos without a fight,” Chang Qingyun said, spitting with enthusiasm.

But everyone knew that his so-called “water mine” camp was somewhat fanciful. It might have been useful during the siege of Bopu, but now the rebels’ ships were only anchoring near the shore, and the current was against them. No one paid him any attention. Only Qian Taichong sneered:

“Once the sea supply line is opened, I’m afraid countless amounts will be ‘lost in transit’ again. If even fifty or sixty percent of the money and grain reaches Chengmai, that would be good,” he said. “In my humble opinion, it is still best to open the land supply line.”

“Yes, if we can’t open the supply line, the grain in the city is scarce and probably won’t last many days,” Song Zonghui finally found an opportunity to interject. Unlike the other aides, his entire family and property were in Chengmai. The success or failure of the government army’s expedition against the rebels directly affected his property and personal safety. He couldn’t help but be concerned.