Chapter 29: The Bamboo Bundle Shield

The First Expeditionary Force assembled and formed up on the beach. In terms of numbers, the three marine companies were a small force, but the firepower they wielded was the most powerful in this era: Hall rifles, “typewriters” (Gatling guns), and the Experimental Type 32 Battalion Gun with its friction recoil absorption system. Although there were only three of these cannons, their range far exceeded that of the 12-pounder mountain howitzers they had previously been equipped with. They possessed an exceptionally long range and rate of fire that no army of this time could withstand. According to the staff’s estimates, most armies of this era would break and flee after just a few shots.

Shi Zhiqi was in high spirits. The name “First Expeditionary Force” sounded much grander and more “American” than “First Marine Battalion.” The uniforms of the First Marine Expeditionary Force had been recently updated, completely shedding the old “Type 65” style of the Fubo Army and adopting a knock-off version of the US Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform. Of course, the Lingao version of the MCCUU had no camouflage and was made of no special fabric, just the common cotton or cotton-linen blend used for Lingao uniforms.

The color was the most rustic indigo-dyed dark blue. The cap was the iconic eight-pointed cover.

Lingao couldn’t equip the marines with modern combat boots, so they still used integrated canvas leggings and were equipped with standard army gear.

Shi Zhiqi jumped down from the boat. With a pipe in his mouth, a command sword at his waist, and a leather riding crop in his hand, he looked imposing. He glanced at the marines who had already formed up. They were all full of spirit, standing ramrod straight, with the air of the “Empire’s Marines.” He felt a surge of pride, waved his riding crop, and blew a few smoke rings. “Alright, you sons of bitches!” he shouted.

“Yes, Lieutenant Colonel!” the marines roared in unison. “Let’s fuck ‘em up! For the Senate and the People!”

He swung his riding crop down. “All units, advance!”

The three companies advanced in a three-column formation, with the fire support detachment of cannons and “typewriters” following behind. According to the plan, the First Expeditionary Force was supposed to wait for the heavy artillery to land before advancing. However, the ships transporting the cannons had not arrived in time. Speed was of the essence. To prevent Zheng Zhilong and his treasures from escaping, and to stop the enemy from setting fire to the city in desperation, Shi Zhiqi decided to advance on the city immediately, aiming to rout the enemy in a single blow and capture it.

The walls of Zhongzuosuo were less than 6 meters high. They were of traditional Chinese construction, with a brick and stone facing over an earthen core. As it was only a weisuo (garrison) city, the walls were not particularly thick. Not only was their resistance to cannon fire weak, but they also had few defensive structures like towers. Shi Zhiqi felt he could take it even without artillery. Besides, he had three battalion guns and a platoon of assault engineers at his disposal. He could simply use explosives to blow open the city gates. Shi Zhiqi didn’t believe Zheng Zhilong’s pirate forces would be willing to fight him with bayonets in the city streets. Perhaps only the Japanese guards, in a fit of chuunibyou (eighth-grader syndrome), would be willing to die such a death.

However, Xu Ke, who was responsible for gathering and analyzing intelligence on the Zheng clan, thought this was unlikely. The Japanese and black guards were, to put it bluntly, Zheng Zhilong’s “foreign household retainers.” They were loyalists fed with silver, Zheng Zhilong’s last resort. Once the city fell and the situation was irreversible, Zheng Zhilong would still need his guards to cover his escape. Why would he be willing to leave them in the city to fight a street battle with the marines and be annihilated?

“Marine Corps Hymnal, page two, ‘Song of the Marine Warriors’! Sing it together!” the sergeants commanded loudly.

The iron-shod canvas and leather-soled combat boots of the marines trampled the beaches of Xiamen, kicking up dust. The soldiers sang in unison:

I am a Marine, a weapon of war. With a flash of red, I’ll make your blood pour. Don’t doubt it, this is my domain. As you charge at me, I smile at your pain. For victory belongs to me, I am the top-tier killer, the bringer of death. The fires of trial have long been lit, stand with me and you’ll never be alone. First to charge, last to leave, a warrior’s one-way trip, I know. Swallowing fear, when the enemy comes into view. Aim with the hand, pull the trigger with the will, kill with a heart of cold steel. I am a demon on the march. I am a warrior in song. Eager for battle, I’ll turn the enemy’s land to scorched earth. Wading through a sea of blood, I swear to kill them all.

The lyrics were sometimes out of sync, but the sound of several hundred able-bodied men singing at the top of their lungs, accompanied by the heavy thud of their footsteps, vibrated in the air.

Shi Zhiqi marched with his head held high at the front of the second company. The flag of the First Expeditionary Force flew behind him, with his personal Transmigrator banner alongside it. The banner not only bore his family crest but was also embroidered with the medals he had been awarded and the locations of the victories he had won commanding the marines.

“What are those Kunzei singing?” Zheng Zhilong asked, faintly hearing the song carried by the wind.

“Reporting to the General, I can’t hear it clearly. It’s nothing more than some battle songs, very vulgar.”

Zheng Zhilong raised his telescope and looked again towards the source of the singing. Three columns of blue-clad soldiers were advancing on the beach towards them. They had few flags, but their ranks were orderly and their steps were in unison. They were clearly an elite force.

However, judging by the size of the formation, there were at most five hundred men. There was no dust cloud behind them to suggest a larger force on the move, and he saw no large groups of horses or oxen in their rear, which meant they weren’t dragging heavy artillery. Zheng Zhilong felt a little relieved. If there were only five hundred of them, his own men could still put up a fight.

The Kunzei had come from afar; how many men could they transport? If he could just wipe out this first wave, the subsequent forces would just be reinforcements trickling in. He could defeat them one by one. Zheng Zhilong’s confidence grew. He laughed and said, “It’s true the Kunzei’s ships are sturdy and their cannons powerful, but it’s a pity they don’t understand the art of war. To dare to attack with so few men, aren’t they just coming to die?”

The other generals also felt that the Kunzei were being overconfident, and they too felt a little relieved. The younger, more hot-blooded among them, who had been stunned by the Kunzei’s cannon fire, had now recovered. Seeing that the enemy’s land force was small and had no artillery, they were all eager for a fight, ready to give the Kunzei a good thrashing.

“General, I am willing to be the vanguard! I will blunt their sharp edge!” a man stepped out from among the generals. It was Lin Cha. Lin Cha was one of Zheng Zhilong’s top generals, known for his bravery and skill in battle. Zheng Zhilong had once requested a commendation for him from the court.

“You have too few men, and they are infantry. Stand down for now, and be patient!” Zheng Zhilong shook his head. The enemy was a force equipped entirely with firearms. Others might not know, but he himself maintained two all-firearm guard units and was well aware of the destructive power of firearms. Lin Cha had only three or four hundred men under his command. If they charged, they would be torn to shreds by the Kunzei before they could even swing their swords.

“General, I have a tactic that can be used to fight the Kunzei,” Lin Cha persisted, not giving up.

“Speak.”

“I was discussing with General Tong earlier about the overwhelming power of firearms. No matter how brave a general or how heavy his armor, he cannot escape death if hit by an iron cannonball. To fight against musketeers, one must charge forward bravely and fight with flesh and blood. But General Tong said that in Japan, there is a device that can defeat iron cannons.”

“General Tong” was Tōtarō. He was unwilling to reveal his clan name, so the Chinese naturally used “Tong” as his surname.

“Go on,” Zheng Zhilong said, his interest piqued.

“Yes!” Lin Cha said quickly. “I heard from General Tong that this device is called a take-taba-tate (bamboo bundle shield). It is made by bundling many short green bamboo poles together, and iron cannonballs cannot penetrate it…”

Zheng Zhilong thought for a moment, then shook his head. “If you bundle bamboo together, it will be large and heavy. You can’t hold it with one hand. How can you wield a weapon to fight with it?”

“We can divide them into three teams. The first team carries the bamboo bundle shields in front to block the bullets. The second team behind them will be all archers. The last team will be swordsmen with rattan shields. First, we’ll loose a volley of arrows, and then the swordsmen will charge forward and break the enemy with their broadswords and rattan shields!” Lin Cha had come prepared. He had already studied this problem and had even trained his men in it.

Zheng Zhilong turned his gaze to Tōtarō. “Is this really feasible?”

“Reporting to your lordship, the bamboo bundle shield is indeed feasible. Iron cannonballs cannot penetrate it,” Tōtarō said. In Japan, during sieges, the soldiers in the vanguard often carried these bamboo bundle shields to protect themselves from musket balls.

Zheng Zhilong was tempted. “But on such short notice, where can we find so much bamboo? And training the teams to coordinate will take more than a day.”

“Reporting to the General, your humble servant has already prepared one thousand bamboo bundle shields. My men have also practiced the formation. I only ask that the General allow me to fight!”

“Good!” Zheng Zhilong nodded. “It’s rare that you are so prepared! In that case, you will lead the vanguard!” He then shouted, “Bring wine! I will see General Lin off!”

After drinking the farewell wine, Zheng Zhilong ordered another reward for Lin Cha’s men: five silver dollars each, as an encouragement for being the vanguard. Lin Cha went to assemble his troops, which numbered only four hundred men. Fearing his force was too small, Zheng Zhilong ordered another general named Lin Sheng to take his three hundred men to support the attack.

Shi Zhiqi was leading his troops forward when the scouts ahead returned to report that a force of seven or eight hundred men was coming out to meet them.

“First and Second companies, deploy into a two-rank line! Third company, form the reserve!”

The marine companies no longer had drummers and fifers, only buglers. Following Shi Zhiqi’s command, the bugler sounded his call, and the First and Second companies deployed from their marching columns into a two-rank line. The First company was on the left, the Second on the right.

“Halt! Dress ranks!”

Shi Zhiqi, with his command squad, was positioned at the junction of the two companies. Behind him, the artillery was beginning to set up, and the Third company was forming the reserve.

With the marines’ weapons, they could have adopted skirmish line tactics, but they had only recently been re-equipped, and the corresponding tactical training had not yet caught up. Therefore, they continued to use line-of-battle tactics. Shi Zhiqi felt that against the enemies of this era, line-of-battle tactics were good enough and could make full use of their firepower.

Shi Zhiqi raised his telescope and looked. He was surprised. Why was every man in the front rank of that seven or eight-hundred-man force carrying a huge bundle of firewood? Then he understood: they were meant to block bullets.

“MMD, this is too ridiculous,” Shi Zhiqi muttered, lowering his telescope. He drew his command sword.

“All units, prepare for battle!”

The bugle sounded a rapid call.