Chapter 96: The Rout

Lu Yizhong was furious. He thought to himself, You’re just a scholar, a mere Xiucai, yet you’re so arrogant. He pointed his finger and scolded, “You insolent fool! If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll have you charged with disrupting military morale!”

“Hmph, does the military morale need me to disrupt it?” Qian Taichong was not intimidated and was about to retort when someone came looking for them.

“Gentlemen, please proceed to the main camp for a meeting immediately!”

As they left the city, Qian Taichong noticed that all the troops at the city gate had been replaced with men from the garrison’s standard battalion, all with their swords and spears drawn, looking very stern.

The group of horses galloped through the city gate. The government soldiers at the gate did not close it after they left; it remained open to allow for the passage of men and horses.

In the central military camp, although He Rubin’s household retainers and garrison standard battalion still maintained a considerable degree of stability, the rain of rockets had lowered the morale in the camp to its lowest point. Many were whispering among themselves, believing that a retreat was certain.

In the main tent, the commanders of each battalion had already arrived. They now had a deep understanding of the power of the rebels’ firearms. Camping here offered no sense of security. No matter how high the walls were built or how deep the trenches were dug, it was useless. The rebels’ rockets could be fired from over ten li away, hundreds at a time. This war was no longer winnable.

The generals had no will to fight, and the commander-in-chief also felt that the battle could not be won. He Rubin knew that it was pointless to continue to insist on camping in Chengmai and confronting the rebels. Morale was shattered, and the supply line could not be quickly restored. It would be better to retreat to Qiongshan to secure supplies while his forces had not yet suffered a devastating blow. At least he would have some room to make excuses to his superiors. However, he did not have the authority to make the decision to retreat alone. He turned his gaze to Zhao Ruyi.

Zhao Ruyi had long wanted to retreat. This expedition against the rebels was clearly doomed to failure. The fire attack just now had nearly scared the soul out of him. It was the first time he had encountered such a long-range, indiscriminate attack that spared neither the front nor the rear. One of his servants had been killed instantly by a direct hit from a rocket. He was even more eager to escape this deathtrap. Seeing that all the generals were in favor of retreating, he went along with it.

Next, they discussed the order of retreat for each battalion and the signals and methods of communication. He Rubin knew that after this retreat, it would be difficult for him to explain himself to the Viceroy and the Imperial Court. His face darkened, and he let everyone discuss without saying a word himself. Seeing his grim expression, Zhao Ruyi was afraid that he might have a breakdown or commit suicide—if the commander-in-chief died, the twenty thousand men would instantly scatter. So he said loudly to the generals:

“Our army has won successive victories against the rebels. We have suffered a small setback at Shishan. The army will return to Qiongshan to rest and regroup before making further plans!”

He then said many words to boost the morale of the generals, which slightly improved the atmosphere in the tent. The time for the retreat was set for the next morning to avoid confusion and getting lost during a nighttime breakout.

It was decided that Chen Renjie would lead the way with the troops of the Qiongya Adjutant-General and the local garrison and militia. Among the five Adjutant-Generals, Tang Yunwen’s troops were the most intact, and most of his men were locals who were familiar with the terrain. The garrison and militia’s home camps were mostly in the Qiongshan and Wenchang areas. Their morale was low when it came to attacking Lin Gao, but they should still have the will to fight their way back.

The other units would follow, fighting as they retreated. The rear guard would be led by Sun Changzuo, the garrison’s adjutant. He Rubin gave him two thousand men, including one hundred of his own mounted household retainers and one hundred of Song Ming’s cavalry. Sun Changzuo knew that these two hundred cavalry were the commander’s way of ensuring his survival. He was very grateful and promised to lead his men to fight to the death as the rear guard.

The rear guard also included Li Modao’s firearms battalion. This firearms battalion, having lost its cannons, was now considered useless by everyone. So Li Modao could only lead his men to defend the camp and be the last to withdraw. He Rubin’s instructions to him were that if the road was cut off and he could not retreat, he should withdraw into Chengmai County and help defend the city.

After the generals had left, He Rubin said to Zhao Ruyi, “Your Excellency, please rest in my old camp. You can retreat with the old camp after dawn.”

But Zhao Ruyi said, “I still have some luggage in the city that I haven’t packed…”

“I will send someone to handle it immediately.”

“No, no,” Zhao Ruyi quickly said, “There are many manuscripts and books among them. If I don’t go, my servants are ignorant and might not be able to sort them out properly.”

“Alright, please go and return quickly, old sir.”

Zhao Ruyi and his servants galloped back to the Song residence in the city, and the aides also followed. As soon as this group returned, the Song residence and the various large households in the city where the aides were staying were thrown into chaos. Zhao Ruyi had originally planned to do a good deal of “requisitioning” along the way on this inspection tour. When he reached Lin Gao, he expected to acquire many of the rebels’ curios and treasures. So he had brought many empty chests and servants. Although this defeat had come too quickly and his greed was not yet satisfied, he had received “gifts” from the military officers and the local gentry along the way. After arriving in Chengmai, he had also received many gifts from the county magistrate and the local gentry. Song Zonghui, seeking his protection, had also given him fifty taels of silver and a famous painting.

As soon as he returned to the Song residence, he ordered his servants to immediately pack all the valuables into chests and had someone go to requisition laborers and carts to prepare for their escape.

Although the aides were not officials, they had also received various gifts along the way and had to pack them up. They were not like Zhao Ruyi, who had seventy or eighty servants. Even a prominent figure like Lu Yizhong only had thirty or forty servants, while a poor scholar like Qian Taichong had only a single young servant. So some only packed their valuables, while others even wanted to take the few bolts of local cotton cloth they had been given. For a time, it was a chaotic scene of shouting and commotion. The servants of each household, while packing, simply took whatever they could from the guest courtyard of the Song residence, including the ornaments on the tables, the paintings on the walls, and even the curtains on the beds, and wrapped them up. The servants of the Song family all cried out, “We’re being robbed by the officials!” Seeing the chaos, Song Zonghui ordered his family members to take the women and children to the inner courtyard and had all the able-bodied men prepare clubs and spears to resist any looting soldiers if necessary. He himself hurried to find Chang Qingyun.

Chang Qingyun was busy supervising several servants as they packed and moved luggage. He was shouting orders at the servants and constantly scolding them for their inefficiency. When a servant accidentally dropped a bundled piece of luggage, scattering several bolts of local kapok cloth on the ground, Chang Qingyun let out a string of roars.

“Why are you suddenly packing your luggage?” he asked in a panic. Song Zonghui had already guessed that the government army was about to flee, but he still held out a sliver of hope that it was just a camp relocation.

Because he had been well-hospitable for the past few days, Chang Qingyun whispered to him, “To be honest, the army is short on supplies, and we’ve just been hit by the rebels’ rockets. Our army is about to retreat to Qiongshan.”

This news was like a bolt from the blue. Song Zonghui almost fainted. If the government army left, what would happen to the county town?

“Since you are retreating to Qiongshan, when will you return to Chengmai?”

“This is a matter of military secrecy. How would we know?” Chang Qingyun said. “In my opinion, it will be at least three months, or at most half a year.”

“This… this…” Song Zonghui was extremely anxious. If the government troops left, the rebel army would be at the city gates. Wouldn’t the fall of the city be a matter of days? “How many troops will be left to defend the city?”

Chang Qingyun said impatiently, “That is a matter of military secrecy. I do not know.”

Song Zonghui stood there in a daze for a long time. It wasn’t until an aide came to ask for his help in requisitioning a few wheelbarrows and laborers to transport his luggage that he came to his senses. He quickly agreed and hurried to the county yamen.

Liu Jingxuan was pacing around the yamen like a headless fly. The rocket attack had terrified him. He was afraid the rebels would take the opportunity to attack the city. He had been supervising the militia to put out the fires and had personally gone up to the city wall to check the situation. He saw that many of the government camps outside the city were on fire, and the troops were in an uproar. His heart sank. It was only after the fires were extinguished and the rebels did not attack the city that he returned to the yamen and had someone cook him a late-night snack.

He hadn’t even finished a bowl of rice noodles when he received news that there was a commotion in the camps both inside and outside the city, and no one knew what was happening. Liu Jingxuan quickly put down his bowl and ordered someone to bring a hot towel. He was about to wipe his face and go out to investigate when Song Zonghui hurried in.

He didn’t have time for pleasantries with the county magistrate. He quickly told him the news that the government army was preparing to retreat to Qiongshan at dawn.

“Is this true?!” Liu Jingxuan nearly jumped up, forgetting the rice noodle stuck to the corner of his mouth. “Our army is leaving?”

“It is true!” Song Zonghui reported that the aides and military officers in the city were packing their luggage and relayed Chang Qingyun’s words. He then sighed, “What Master Chang says cannot be false.”

“What are we to do?” Liu Jingxuan’s face turned pale. “If the government troops leave, the rebels will surely attack the city. The rebels’ firearms are so powerful…” He couldn’t go on. Although they had defended Chengmai for dozens of days before, it was only because the rebels had surrounded them without attacking, not because they couldn’t take the city.

“I think the only thing we can do is for all the gentry of the city to go and plead with them to stay…”

Liu Jingxuan knew that this was not a solution. The supply line was cut, they had been attacked by the rebels’ rockets, and the army was in chaos. Was the life of General He and his tens of thousands of men, and his own head, not more important than this small county town? Losing the county town was a crime, but it was not a capital offense. What reason was there to stay in this deathtrap and share the fate of the local army and people?

Thinking of this, Liu Jingxuan shed tears. “I don’t think this will work. It’s just a pity for all the gentry and people of this city!” He sighed and declared that if the city fell, he would definitely commit suicide to serve the country.

“I think Your Excellency should go to General He’s old camp and explain the pros and cons, and ask the general to leave a contingent of troops to help defend the city,” his colleagues in the yamen suggested.

“Most of the grain in the city has been requisitioned by the army. Even if we have soldiers to defend the city, we can’t hold out without supplies,” Liu Jingxuan sighed.

But Song Zonghui was not thinking about this. He was thinking that if the government troops fled, they would inevitably loot the city before they left. Although He Rubin’s troops were from the same province, there was no guarantee that he could control his men. Thinking of this, he felt it would be better not to have any government troops at all. Since twenty thousand government soldiers had to flee from the rebels, what use would five hundred or a thousand be? If the rebels wanted to take the city, it would only be a matter of days.

The officials in the yamen were responsible for defending the territory and had to fight to the death, but the gentry and common people like him did not have to resist to the end. The thought of surrendering if the rebels attacked the city had already crossed his mind. He just mumbled a few words of agreement and said no more.

While they were discussing, a junior officer came on horseback with an order: the whole county was to immediately prepare twenty thousand jin of dry rations and at the same time requisition laborers and wheelbarrows. They were to be delivered to the main camp before dawn.

“Preparing the dry rations is one thing, I will immediately arrange for the households to start cooking. But the laborers and wheelbarrows—they are all trapped in the city. I can’t even get a piece of paper out of the city gates. How can I prepare them?” Liu Jingxuan said anxiously.

“This is the general’s order. It has nothing to do with me,” the junior officer said, rolling his eyes. “It must be done before dawn!” With that, he mounted his horse and rode off.

Liu Jingxuan was frantic. Although Chengmai was considered a large county in Hainan, he could only muster a few hundred able-bodied men from within the city walls. Even most of the militia defending the city came from the nearby villages. And steaming twenty thousand jin of dry rations was not a task that could be done in a moment. He had to call another emergency meeting of the gentry. It was Song Zonghui who muttered, “They’re leaving at dawn anyway. Why bother?”

Liu Jingxuan understood what he meant, but he was worried. “What if the general asks?”

Song Zonghui sneered. “By then, I’m afraid he won’t have time to ask about such matters.” He then said in a low voice that they should just have the women start making the dry rations and send them out at dawn.

“…We don’t even need to make the full amount. Firstly, there’s not enough time. Secondly, the troops are all eager to go home. As soon as dawn breaks, they will be scrambling to leave. Who will have the time to wait for the county’s dry rations to be delivered…” Song Zonghui whispered. A few thousand jin of dry rations would be enough to make a show of it. There was no need to waste the county’s grain reserves.

Following Song Zonghui’s advice, Liu Jingxuan arranged for people to make the dry rations on the one hand, and on the other, he had people go through the motions of beating gongs to requisition laborers. The people in the city all hid. Song Zonghui also gathered all the militia and had them wait at the three city gates. As soon as the government troops at the gates left, they would immediately seize control and close the gates to prevent the soldiers from looting in the chaos.

While the people in the county town were busy preparing, some of the troops and aides who were originally stationed in the city also began to move out. Some took the opportunity to loot in the city. A few more fires broke out, and there were also the chaotic sounds of killing, shouting, and pleading. On the main street in front of the yamen lay the bodies of several people killed by the rioting soldiers. The yamen gate was already closed and heavily barred. Liu Jingxuan, with dozens of militiamen, was guarding the great seal in the main hall. He was very afraid. Just now, several small groups of rioting soldiers had broken into the yamen, brandishing their swords and spears, demanding “departure silver.” There were also officers who came with their personal guards and politely asked him to “temporarily advance money for horse fodder.” He was not only afraid that the soldiers would rob the county treasury, making it impossible for him to account for it, but he was also worried about his wife and concubines in the rear yamen, afraid that the rioting soldiers would break in and violate them.

He Rubin did not know that the government troops were now seen as enemies in the city. He was sending men to urge the troops and aides in the city to leave quickly, while also gathering all the units near his old camp. He ordered all heavy equipment to be abandoned, taking only grain and light firearms. He told Li Modao to set up the remaining cannons of the firearms battalion on the ramparts, use up all the ammunition to cover the retreat, and then abandon them.

Zhao Ruyi whispered, “Abandoning too much armor and equipment will be difficult to explain. In my opinion, it would be better to send it all to Chengmai County and leave five hundred men to help defend the city.”

He Rubin agreed. He ordered all the armor and equipment that was to be abandoned to be transported to the county town and left a captain and five hundred soldiers to help defend the city.

In a flash, the sky began to brighten. He Rubin immediately ordered the entire army to strike camp and set out. Chen Renjie led the way with the troops of the Qiongya Adjutant-General and the local garrison and militia. They were followed by ten thousand defeated soldiers, and then his own elite two thousand men, who protected the old camp and the baggage train.

Although he had previously ordered the heavy equipment and excess armor and weapons to be sent to Chengmai County, the order had been given in haste. Many of the soldiers in the camps were eager to escape and had left without packing. The camps were littered with abandoned weapons and armor.

He was somewhat relieved to hear that Chen Renjie’s unit had set out in formation. He was most afraid that the soldiers, in their panic and tension, would scramble to escape, which would throw the retreat into chaos. Even if the rebels only had two or three thousand men, they could take the opportunity to inflict a major defeat on the government army. So He Rubin was very nervous and constantly sent men out to check on the retreat of the various units.

The rebels’ scouts were formidable. They often intercepted the scouts he sent out, and even the spies rarely returned. And in the several battles, they had not captured a single prisoner. The rebels’ situation was as deep as the sea, and no information could get through. He Rubin knew that he was like a blind man on a blind horse, fighting by groping his way forward. His situation was very dangerous.

Shortly after Chen Renjie’s unit set out, the follow-up forces also departed in succession. He was somewhat relieved to receive news that the front column was safe and had already marched three or four li. He was thinking about what to do after retreating to Qiongshan and how to report to the Viceroy—he knew that Zhao Ruyi would definitely extort a sum of silver from him over this… As he was pondering, he suddenly heard a series of cannon shots from outside, so dense that he could hardly count them. He was startled, not knowing where the rebels had gotten so many cannons. Then came the shouts of men and the neighing of horses, a scene of chaos. He was greatly alarmed and immediately stood up, asking urgently:

“What is happening outside?”

“The rebels are attacking!” a personal guard reported hastily. “They are firing cannons from the east!”

He Rubin’s heart sank. The east was the direction of Chen Renjie’s retreating front column. Could the rebels have set up a defensive line on the road to block the government army’s retreat?

In a moment, the sound of cannons and guns outside grew more intense, and the noise in the camp also grew louder. Even his own standard battalion began to waver. He was about to send someone to investigate again when the central army’s adjutant, Ye Zhengfang, hurried in and reported:

“The vanguard! The vanguard!” He seemed to be gasping for breath in terror. “The vanguard has been defeated!”