Chapter 20: Splitting the Forces

While the First Squadron was fiercely bombarding the three-masted gunships, the special service boat squadrons entered Liaoluo Bay in a single column. As they closed to a distance of one thousand meters, the squadrons, led by the vanguard, turned to sail parallel to the coast. Using the burning enemy ships, previously hit by the First Squadron, as reference points, each vessel opened fire at will. Their orders were simple: fire at maximum speed.

Guided by the burning ships on the water and the occasional signal rockets fired by the special reconnaissance teams on shore, the special service boat squadrons unleashed a barrage from their cannons and carronades.

The cannon squadrons suppressed the enemy from a distance, while the carronade squadrons moved in for the kill—the latter’s large-caliber shells were more devastating upon impact. Following pre-battle instructions, they fired a large number of high-explosive and red-hot incendiary rounds to maximize the destruction of the wooden ships.

The five special service boat squadrons sailed on, spewing smoke and fire from their broadsides, their shells falling like rain. The coast of Liaoluo Bay was filled with the roar of cannons and shrouded in smoke. Explosions, laced with red flames, erupted one after another. The smoke and fire from the stricken ships billowed into the sky, obscuring even the rising sun. The shouts of commands, the screams of the wounded, the roars of anger, and the curses all echoed amidst the thunderous cannonade. The massive fleet gathered in Liaoluo Bay melted away like an iceberg under the hot sun. Ship after ship was hit and set ablaze. The intense fires on the water spread, igniting many ships closer to the shore that had not yet faced the Australian barrage. The entire bay was a sea of flames.

The Hongyi cannon batteries that the Zheng family had positioned along the coast of Liaoluo Bay finally returned fire. However, in the chaos on the water, it was difficult to even spot targets, let alone aim effectively. Their sporadic shots were fired blindly, most of them landing harmlessly in the sea, with a few even hitting their own ships.

The moment the first shells flew overhead, Ning Liujin let out a scream and, with a splash, jumped into the sea. He couldn’t explain why he did it; an overwhelming fear in his heart screamed at him to run.

His escape was well-timed. By the time a dripping and exhausted Ning Liujin crawled onto the sandy beach of Liaoluo Bay, the water behind him was a fiery inferno. The sound of exploding powder magazines was incessant, and the heat from the burning ships in the bay was so intense that even on the beach, it was almost unbearable.

The beach was already crowded with gasping sailors. They all lay with their mouths wide open, panting for air—swimming through the water filled with burning debris was no easy task.

Burning embers danced in the air like countless butterflies, occasionally drifting down onto the beach. A few Zheng family soldiers hurriedly pushed a wheelbarrow carrying a rectangular box to the beach, set it up, and lit the fuse. Ning Liujin saw a flash, and in an instant, a dozen rockets shot out. It was an impressive sight, but the smoke-trailing rockets didn’t fly far. One after another, they fell into the bay, and some even managed to set their own ships on fire.

“Damn it, what’s the point of fighting!” Ning Liujin heard someone nearby curse between gasps. He hadn’t caught his breath yet and was still panting heavily when a cannonball suddenly flew in from the sea and landed on the beach. It exploded with a roar, instantly turning several gasping men into a bloody mess. Forgetting his need for air, Ning Liujin scrambled on all fours towards the island’s interior.

He ran just in time. At 5:40 AM, the fire support squadron, which had followed the special service boats into the bay, was towed into position by large landing craft. Thirty rocket boats unleashed a salvo of Hale rockets at the remaining ships in the bay, each boat firing 30 rockets. In an instant, the sky looked as if it were filled with a meteor shower. This sight alone was enough to shatter the morale of the remaining Zheng family sailors and soldiers. The cannon fire from the shore batteries fell completely silent. The fire in Liaoluo Bay burned even more fiercely.

At 6:30 AM, the vanguard squadron turned south of Rushan (a local landmark) and began its return journey, using its other broadside to fire on the remaining Zheng fleet in the bay. By now, not even a tenth of the Zheng fleet in Liaoluo Bay remained. Most of the ships that had been anchored on the inner side were now also on fire, and the water was covered in a thick pall of smoke, making observation difficult. Moreover, the special reconnaissance teams hiding in places like Rushan sent a telegram confirming that the bombardment had been extremely effective and that further shelling was unnecessary. From the deck of the Lichun, Ming Qiu, observing the enemy’s situation, concluded that the first phase of the operation had been achieved. There was no need to waste more ammunition on the wreckage. He gave the signal for the special service boat squadrons to withdraw from combat, re-arm, and cover the army’s landing.

“Notify all ships to be on high alert for fire ships,” Ming Qiu ordered. The only remaining threat to them now was fire ships. It was with this tactic that Zheng Zhilong had driven the Dutch out of the Xiamen area, forcing them to accept his trade terms.

Although the Dutch were outnumbered, they had a significant technological advantage in naval warfare at the time. The fact that Zheng Zhilong could defeat them meant that the Zheng navy had considerable experience in using fire ships and likely had their own unique tactics.

Cutters and motorboats transported boat after boat of marines and army soldiers to the beach. Due to the intense heat from the fires along the coast of Liaoluo Bay, the landing site was chosen on the beach below Houhu Mountain. There was a fortified camp on the mountain, but its defenders had already been scattered by the navy’s rocket bombardment. Old Di and his First Expeditionary Force landed on the beach without any resistance.

As expected, the Zheng family’s land forces on Kinmen Island did not put up much of a fight. Most of the garrisons abandoned their camps and fled. Many escaped to the northern side of the island and crossed over to the mainland by boat.

Most of them threw away their weapons and armor and fled into the mountains in the center of the island.

By 7:00 AM, Kinmen Island had officially changed hands. On the hill that in another timeline would be known as Chenggong Gang, the “Morning Star” flag was slowly raised.

Ming Qiu immediately appointed Old Di as the military governor of Kinmen and put him in charge of clearing the entire island. He also assigned him several patrol boats and motorboats with orders to capture Little Kinmen Island and eliminate the enemy there before noon, thereby securing both Big and Little Kinmen and the surrounding waters.

“I will complete the mission!” Old Di’s face was red with excitement. He saluted stiffly and roared his reply. He had been stuck as a marine company commander for years and had only been promoted to a battalion-level commander a year ago. Now, he was finally a “governor.”

“I’m leaving things here to you. We’re about to attack Xiamen and Anping,” Ming Qiu instructed. “Contact me immediately if anything comes up.”

After giving his orders, Ming Qiu immediately split his forces. The First Squadron headed for Xiamen Island to clear out the Zheng family’s fleet in Xiamen Bay and cover the landing of troops on the island. The special service boat squadrons and the motorboat flotilla were to attack Anping.

Although Anping was Zheng Zhilong’s main base, Ming Qiu considered that it was located at the mouth of the Shijing River, about six or seven kilometers from Weitou Bay. To attack Anping, the fleet would have to enter the Shijing River and sail upstream. The special reconnaissance teams had surveyed the river’s hydrography, and the Lichun could sail right up to the walls of Anping. However, the river was only about two kilometers wide there, filled with hidden sandbars and a winding channel. The steam-powered gunboats would have difficulty maneuvering, making it the perfect place for the enemy to use their fire ships. Therefore, Ming Qiu ultimately decided not to commit the First Squadron to this area, opting instead to use the special service boats and motorboats. If the wind and tide were unfavorable, the motorboats would tow the special service boats into battle.

The land and naval forces for the attack on Anping were under the overall command of Shi Zhiqi, with the First Fleet’s Chief of Staff, Li Di, commanding the naval vessels. For this purpose, he had already transferred his commodore’s pennant to a larger special service boat. With that, the three commanders parted ways, each heading off to carry out their respective missions.

Li Huamei stood at her post on the Lichun, gazing at the thick black smoke rising into the sky. The battle had been like a grand fireworks display. She had never witnessed such a magnificent and brutal war. The Australians chose the time and place to kill and destroy ships at their leisure, and the Zheng fleet was utterly powerless to resist. The phrase “an eagle hunting a rabbit” was not enough to describe the terrifying disparity.

Indeed, Li Huamei knew that by European standards, Zheng Zhilong’s fleet, apart from its size, was technologically insignificant. Not just against a Spanish galleon, but even an ordinary 20-gun Dutch merchant ship could hold its own against two to four of Zheng’s eight-gun, three-masted ships at sea.

But that was just a certain advantage, nothing like the crushing, one-sided slaughter the Lichun and the First Squadron had just delivered. The outcome of the battle was decided the moment they entered Liaoluo Bay. No, it could even be said that the moment they decided to wage war on Zheng Zhilong, the fires of Liaoluo Bay were already a foregone conclusion.

In that case, weren’t they already invincible? In her shock, she couldn’t help but wonder. Never mind a mere sea lord like Zheng Zhilong; even landing on the mainland, overthrowing the Ming Dynasty, and establishing a new one would not be difficult. Why, then, did they hide themselves away on a remote, uncivilized island like Hainan, engaging in all sorts of manual labor? To conquer the world, to sit on the dragon throne—wasn’t the highest ideal of every hero under heaven to “seize it for themselves”?

The Lichun changed course, and Li Huamei noticed that the smoke-belching ships of the First Squadron were heading towards Dadeng and Erdeng islands. She immediately understood that they were going to attack Xiamen.

There were many merchant ships in the area of Xiamen and Gulangyu. It was an important port for the Zheng family’s trade. The Australians were sending their main force directly there, clearly intending to strike at the root of their power. As Li Huamei pondered this, she watched the Australian fleet’s movements and noticed that a large contingent of ships was heading towards Anping. Her heart skipped a beat: they intended to wipe them out completely in one go!

She had never expected the Australians to be so ruthless. A wave of regret washed over Li Huamei. If the Australians ever found out about her secret dealings with the Spanish, the Dutch, and Zheng Zhilong, she and her mistress would likely meet a grim end, with no place to even be buried. At this thought, a cold sweat broke out on her back.