Part 269: Landing on Qimu Island

To achieve such a goal, appropriate “guidance” was necessary. The Senate did not have silver-tongued lobbyists who could manipulate the actions of Kong Youde, Li Jiucheng, and others with their eloquence. The only way was through military intervention.

By obstructing or accelerating the movement of the rebel army at certain junctures, they could guide the rebels to operate according to the command headquarters’ requirements. Besides deploying special operations forces, this was also the main mission of the Northbound Detachment.

In the entire operational deployment, the command headquarters made the decision to ensure that Sun Yuanhua would not “fall into the hands of the rebels.” As long as Sun Yuanhua was not captured by the rebels, not only would his crime be greatly reduced, but he would also be in a more active and favorable position in the next phase of the counter-insurgency campaign. The power to direct the counter-insurgency would most likely fall into his hands. Coupled with Xu Guangqi in the court, the Fushe (Revival Society) they were actively cultivating, and the influence of Eunuch Yang in the palace, they could coordinate their efforts from within and without, actively working to “absolve him of guilt” and even “achieve merit.” This would further secure Sun Yuanhua’s position as the Governor of Deng-Lai.

Keeping Sun Yuanhua as the Governor of Deng-Lai would provide great convenience for the Senate’s next steps in Shandong. In particular, the eastern three prefectures were geographically self-contained within Shandong and had many good coastal ports, giving them the potential for armed separatism. According to the normal historical trajectory, it would not be long before the Manchus invaded Shandong for the second time, devastating the region. The Ming court’s rule in Shandong would be severely weakened, and at that time, they could use the eastern three prefectures as a base to greatly infiltrate the entire Shandong region.

Even if they couldn’t secure Sun Yuanhua’s position as governor, there was still room for him to be reinstated. This could be used to curry favor with Sun Yuanhua and Xu Guangqi’s faction of more modern and pragmatic officials in the court, which would also have a positive significance for the next step of political and economic infiltration into the Ming. And such a “friendship” would be more solid than a “relationship” obtained simply by bribing with silver.

One of the main missions of the special forces team was to ensure that Sun Yuanhua did not “fall into the hands of the rebels.” If necessary, the special forces team would be dispatched to rescue him.

The command headquarters could not accurately estimate to what extent Sun Yuanhua could be utilized and controlled, but he admired Western learning and valued practical matters. He was a relatively flexible and pragmatic official. Coupled with the fact that they had the banner of the Jesuit Society, they should be able to achieve cooperation to a certain extent.

By establishing connections with Sun Yuanhua’s retainer, Sun Yuan, and other former comrades-in-arms through Huang Ande, Lu Wenyuan could roughly grasp Sun Yuanhua’s general activities in the Deng-Lai region. He had set up spies in Dengzhou, and a courier would bring him the latest intelligence collected in Dengzhou every day.

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Wang Qisuo, wearing a thick cotton coat, stood guard on the newly completed fort near the pier. Lord Lu didn’t call it a fort, but a “blockhouse.” It was quite an apt description, as it was a three-story brick and stone building where the garrison soldiers could live. On top was mounted a strange large cannon: it was square, with a dense array of iron tubes inside, mounted on a circular carriage.

He stood next to this delicate—it was cleaned and oiled daily and covered with a gun coat—cannon, gazing at the sea. The sea wind howled, and it was a bit unbearable. But Wang Qisuo did not dare to be negligent. This was a task personally assigned to him by the leader of the village militia, Huang Ande: “Keep a constant watch on the sea. Report immediately if you see any ships spewing black or white smoke!” He had repeatedly admonished Wang Qisuo several times.

Wang Qisuo was puzzled. White smoke from a ship was understandable; it could be someone cooking on deck. But didn’t black smoke mean it was on fire?

Puzzled as he was, he still carried out his duty meticulously. Since he was rescued by Lord Lu, he had begun to understand the rules of these people: no talking back, absolute obedience to orders from above, and doing things by the book.

“These Kun thieves really have a few tricks up their sleeves,” Wang Qisuo said to himself. Although he didn’t know why he was asked to watch the sea, he still roused his spirits and searched the cold, desolate sea.

There were few boats to be seen, whether on the open sea or in the bay, only some small fishing boats operating nearby. Among them were a few boats belonging to the island’s fishermen-tenants. These boats brought back some fresh fish and shrimp every day for the village militia to have a treat.

In the bay, thanks to the labor of the refugees, the number of piers on Qimu Island had grown from one to three. The longest was nearly half a li. No one knew what the use of so many long piers was. Besides the fishing boats of Lord Lu’s tenants, only cargo ships carrying coal, grain, and timber docked here.

Suddenly, several plumes of black smoke rose from the distant sea—they were very conspicuous against the clear winter sky. He quickly took a few steps forward, almost leaning his body out of the crenellations of the blockhouse.

That’s right, it was indeed black smoke! Four plumes in total. As time passed, the traces of black smoke became thicker and thicker, shooting straight up into the sky.

Wang Qisuo’s spirits lifted. “They’re here!” He quickly struck the bell hanging by his post.

The main force of the Second Fleet—the flagship Zhenyang, the Nongchao, the Daishuang, and the Fubo—had arrived, escorting eight H800 transport ships carrying the main force of the Northbound Detachment.

The Second Fleet had sortied almost in its entirety. This was because Longkou was very close to the Ming army’s naval base in Penglai. Large-scale maritime transport would certainly attract the attention of the Ming army, so sufficient protection was necessary. Secondly, after escorting the main force ashore, the Second Fleet would proceed to the waters of Jeju Island for a patrol, launching a preemptive strike against the Ming and Korean naval forces active in the area, seizing control of the sea, and clearing the way for the upcoming Jeju Island landing.

Wang Qisuo’s eyes widened as he watched the fleet approaching Qimu Island, churning up waves. So many large ships! For a moment, he held his breath involuntarily. The Kun thieves’ fleet was truly formidable, living up to its reputation!

Shortly after the news of the fleet’s arrival was reported, Wang Qisuo saw a group of men in blue clothes rush out of the houses on the shore. They boarded several small boats moored by the shore and quickly rowed towards the outer bay. These were the naval pilots who had arrived earlier. They immediately set out to lay navigation buoys in the outer bay.

The ships of the Second Fleet were too numerous and too large. Even three piers were not enough to accommodate them. Therefore, all the small boats on the island were mobilized to ferry personnel and cargo. The bay was filled with boats shuttling back and forth in a chaotic but busy scene.

Wang Qisuo watched this scene, dumbfounded. He saw a steady stream of soldiers he had never seen before pouring out of the dozen or so large ships. They wore uniform dark gray greatcoats that reached their knees, with white belts around their waists. They wore thick, furry hats that protected their cheeks, with a sparkling star emblem on the front. Across their chests were slung bags and water canteens, and short swords hung from their waists. They wore tight-fitting boots and carried large backpacks on their backs, with a thin blanket tied to the top. Each man carried a long musket.

“So these are the Kun thieves’ soldiers!” Wang Qisuo thought. They looked a bit different from the rumors. But he had to admit that although the Kun thieves’ soldiers were strangely dressed, their uniforms and equipment were neat and clean, and they all carried themselves with an extraordinary air. They looked like an elite, fierce army.

Under the command of their sergeants, the soldiers landed in squads. As soon as they set foot on the pier, the sergeants’ commands rang out continuously:

“Fall in!” “Count off!” “Check equipment!” “Forward, march!” “Song number seventeen from the ‘Senate-Approved Military Songbook’! ‘The Great Army Fears Not the Long March’! Sing!”

As the low male chorus began, one squad after another began to move off the pier. They came off the ships in a continuous stream, making it seem to an onlooker as if the army was endless.

At the temporary barracks on the pier, the flag of the 4th Infantry Battalion was flying. The commander of the Northbound Detachment, Zhu Mingxia, stood under the flag and extended his hand to the approaching Lu Wenyuan.

“We’ve finally been waiting for you,” Lu Wenyuan said, almost in tears. He no longer had to be afraid. “Now we can rest easy!”

“You have Old Chen holding the fort, what are you afraid of? I don’t even have a machine gun,” Zhu Mingxia joked.

Chen Sigen chuckled a few times. “Little Lu trusts your Minie rifles more than machine guns.”

Lu Wenyuan had no time for a comeback. He waved his hand. “Let’s go, we’ll talk in the command post.”

The command post was the meeting room in the farmstead. The underfloor heating had already been lit, and it was warm and cozy. As soon as Zhu Mingxia entered, he took off his officer’s short greatcoat.

“It’s really warm in here,” he said, looking around and stretching. “It’s still more comfortable on shore. Sailing is too tiring.”

He took off his hat and sat down with a plop. The Northbound Detachment had been delayed in Taiwan for a full half-month. Although the soldiers had not been idle, Zhu Mingxia had been very anxious. He was afraid that the delay would give the troops less time to acclimatize to the local environment. This battalion was coming to the cold north for the first time. Although a large number of northern soldiers had been drafted, soldiers from Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, and Jiangxi still accounted for more than two-thirds of the Northbound Detachment.

“Where are the troops’ barracks?” he asked. This was his most pressing concern at the moment.

Lu Wenyuan had already made arrangements. He opened the topographical map of Qimu Island on the table and pointed to a location.

“The barracks are located in the valley between the east and west mountains, sheltered from the wind and facing the sun. There is a water source nearby. I have already arranged for laborers to build drainage ditches and public latrines there, as well as a batch of semi-underground shelters and wooden barracks. But the number may not be enough…”

“That’s not a problem. The soldiers can build more themselves,” Zhu Mingxia said. “How’s the food supply?”

“Enough for five thousand men for a week.”

Zhu Mingxia said, “That’s enough. Including the advance company, the landing force is only a thousand men.”

The main force of the Northbound Detachment landing on Qimu Island included 6 infantry companies, 1 engineer company, 1 artillery company, and 2 transport companies. The remaining troops would be deployed to Jeju Island.