Chapter 156: The Bombardment of Tung Chung

Chen Haiyang demanded that all pirate lookout posts be eliminated within three days to completely blind the pirates’ intelligence sources. This was somewhat challenging for the Special Reconnaissance Team; Lantau Island itself was large and almost entirely mountainous, with countless places to hide observation posts. However, Chen Sigen soon discovered that the pirates had little sense of security. They cooked on the mountains during the day and lit bonfires at night. The smoke and fire made it easy for the recon team to mark all the posts on their maps and then take them out one by one.

The sentry elimination operations went smoothly. Each post had at least five or six men, but the pirates had no experience in defending against such stealth attacks and were completely surprised when they were ambushed. During interrogations, Chen Sigen found that the pirates never thought the enemy would go to the trouble of climbing the mountains to attack them.

Overall, the impression Chen Sigen got from the pirates was that the Guangdong government forces were extremely “lazy.” They basically took no intelligence warfare measures at all.

In contrast, the pirates had some awareness in this area, at least knowing to place lookouts at strategic points. No wonder the ancients often used the term “arrogant and lazy” to describe a degenerate army.

The recon team found iron pots, rice, a lot of salted vegetables, and other daily necessities like water buckets at this post. It seemed they were prepared for a long stay.

“Looks like they’re living quite comfortably, eating hot meals every day,” Chen Sigen joked to his men.

“They’re just having hot meals. How can that compare to us eating meat and fish every meal?” a team member said. “It may be cold, but the food is good!”

The Special Reconnaissance Team’s rations were of the first-class supply standard: high in protein and calories. Each “Southern Seas” type ration pack for the recon team provided 4,500 calories, including special supplies like beef jerky and egg-cream biscuits that only the Elders could enjoy.

“After the battle, we’ll go back to base and have a good meal. I hear there are wild boars on this island.”

Another team member said, “Not just wild boars, but also roe deer and goats.”

“We’ll go hunting after the battle and have a feast,” Chen Sigen said, then ordered the observation post to be destroyed. Everything was smashed—the location didn’t meet their requirements. The recon team needed to set up their posts where they could monitor Tung Chung.

Another task for the recon team was to find a route from the east coast of Lantau Island to the western mountains overlooking Tung Chung, a route capable of transporting supplies.

There were no real roads on Lantau Island. The mountainous areas were almost uninhabited, and the few island residents rarely ventured deep into the island’s interior, except to gather firewood near their villages.

The recon team had to find a path through the roadless mountains that was passable for troops carrying heavy equipment. They had been working on marking such a route for several days. A portion of the marines had already successfully reached the mountains around Tung Chung along the marked path.

Shi Zhiqi was now on the summit of Sheung Ling Shan. A secret camp had been established here, and marines and sailors made several round trips daily from here to the east coast of Lantau. The 12-pounder mountain howitzers were dismantled and carried by hand, and the Hale rockets were also transported by manpower, piece by piece, to the camp.

Among these weapons, the 12-pounder mountain howitzer had a short range and average effectiveness; it was not the main weapon. The Hale rockets were Shi Zhiqi’s trump card. But Hale rockets were fired too quickly. Without an ample supply, dozens of rockets would be gone in an instant, failing to provide sustained suppression of the enemy.

“We’ve transported a hundred rockets to Sheung Ling Shan,” Shi Zhiqi reported to Chen Haiyang via radio. “The transport speed can’t get any faster! There are no roads here at all. It takes a soldier three or four hours for a round trip. The roads are dangerous after dark, so we can’t transport anymore.”

“I’ll assign you more sailors. You must stockpile a sufficient quantity before the tenth.”

“I understand. I will complete the mission. Also, I request a supply of blankets—it’s very cold at night, the soldiers are sleeping in the open, and we can’t have large fires.”

“I’ll inform the logistics officer. Over and out.”

By September 9th, the recon team had set up observation posts in the mountains around Tung Chung, monitoring the movement of pirate ships in the harbor 24/7. A temporary landing party composed of marines and sailors had also quietly landed on the east coast of Lantau under the cover of night and moved into position. Cannons and Hale rockets were ready on the mountaintops. For this Pearl River Estuary campaign, a large number of rockets had been equipped for large-scale harassment operations. This was a good opportunity to use some of them up.

With a single order, the rockets fired from Liu Kok Shan and Sheung Ling Shan towards Tung Chung Hau would be enough to throw the entire pirate fleet into utter chaos. If even the Danish fleet couldn’t withstand the British Navy’s rocket attacks, it was even less likely that a pirate fleet could maintain calm and coordinated action under a dense rocket barrage.

While the offensive preparations were in full swing, Zheng Bao was also preparing for an attack. Wang You’s fruitless return was actually more to Zheng Bao’s liking—he had no desire to have an “alliance leader” over his head.

At noon on September 10th, Chen Haiyang boarded his flagship, the Lin Te 11, and ordered all ships except the Da Jing and the garrison fleet to weigh anchor. Two patrol boat squadrons and seven special service boat squadrons, a total of 36 vessels, sailed northwest, bypassing the Ma Wan Channel and heading for Tung Chung on Lantau Island.

As dawn broke, all the warships advanced in a single file, maintaining a set distance between each ship, sailing through the wind and waves. Chen Haiyang stood on the sterncastle, periodically observing the fleet’s formation.

Eight single-masted lateen-sailed patrol boats sailed on the flanks of the fleet, tacking back and forth to patrol the sea. On Chen Haiyang’s orders, the patrol boats were to sink any scattered vessels they encountered to prevent them from alerting the enemy.

“Fleet speed?”

“2.5 knots!” an officer reported.

“Any news from the observation posts?”

“Fifteen minutes ago, they reported no unusual activity in Tung Chung.”

“Have the marines and the sailors’ landing party reached their starting positions?”

“The artillery is still moving heavy weapons and ammunition. Captain Shi says they can be fully in position in another ninety minutes.”

“Good. Tell the observation posts to keep a close watch on the enemy’s movements.” Chen Haiyang was most worried about the artillery. Lantau was a mountainous island with no roads on its peaks; everything had to be carried up by manpower. It was easy for things to fall out of sync.

Chen Haiyang sat in his high-backed chair. At this speed, it would take more than three hours to reach their battle positions. They would arrive around three in the afternoon—with the sun setting in the west. He would lead the fleet into battle with the sun at their backs, while the pirates would have to face the sun to fight him. This small advantage was very useful in the age of sail.

At 3:30 PM, under the unified command of Chen Haiyang, the sailors’ landing party on Liu Kok Shan and Sheung Ling Shan fired Hale rockets as the signal for the general offensive. The task force engaged in battle.

Most of the rockets fired from the mountains around Tung Chung were aimed at the pirate ships in the harbor, with some also targeting the residential areas near Tung Chung Hau—Chen Haiyang believed these might be the pirates’ camps.

Following the rockets, the mountain howitzers began to fire—they launched explosive shells, which were effective in causing casualties but were mainly intended to increase the chaos in Tung Chung Hau.

When the first rocket, trailing thick smoke, landed on the surface of the harbor, the pirates crowded onto their decks to watch the rare spectacle. As more and more rockets appeared in the sky, all heading straight for them, the entire Tung Chung Hau was thrown into chaos.

Six rockets fell into Tung Chung Hau’s waters and onto the land every minute. Ships and houses were constantly being hit and set on fire, with thick smoke rising to the sky. One rocket hit a ship, and the ensuing explosion and fierce flames instantly engulfed the entire vessel. The gunpowder on board then detonated, throwing debris into the air. Some rockets landed directly among the crowds, turning people into fireballs rolling on the ground.

The densely packed jetties, where sampans and “long dragons” were moored, were hit by a dozen rockets in quick succession. The small boats caught fire one after another, and soon the jetties were ablaze, with thick smoke obscuring the sun.

The pirates and villagers were stunned by this sudden, heaven-sent blow. But the second wave of rockets rising from the mountaintops, a terrifying yet spectacular sight, caused the pirates to break ranks completely. This batch of Hale rockets was all fitted with whistles, which emitted a piercing shriek as they flew and fell. The shrieking sound, coming from afar and getting closer, seemed to be diving right for their heads.

Amid a chaotic chorus of screams and shrieks, people trampled each other. Many rushed to their ships, preparing to weigh anchor and sail at all costs, to escape this hell ruled by the shrieking god of death.

Wang You forced himself to remain calm. After returning to Tung Chung, he hadn’t been able to carry out any specific subversion activities, but he knew which captains had long been dissatisfied with Zheng Bao. Seeing the chaos around him, he quickly sent someone to summon a few reliable men, preparing to seize the opportunity to clarify the situation and act together.

Zheng Bao had been carousing in a small village in Tung Chung Hau—he had ordered several women from a nearby village to entertain him. With Wang You’s negotiations having failed and subversion hopeless, Zheng Bao was very displeased with him. He had decided that regardless of the Aussies’ attitude, he would lead his forces into the Pearl River for a major raid first. As for what happened later, they would see. Liu Xiang’s departure from the Pearl River Estuary was a rare opportunity, and it would be a pity not to seize it.

Just as he was enjoying himself and planning which villages to plunder, a commotion broke out outside, followed by a chaotic mix of whistling and explosions. The intoxicating effects of the wine instantly wore off. Zheng Bao pushed the women away and stood up from his bamboo couch.

“What’s going on? What’s all the noise outside?” he shouted. It didn’t seem like a government attack—if it were, his lookouts in the surrounding mountains should have sent a warning.