Chapter 33: The Escape

The threat of a massacre worked immediately. With the marines having entered the city and restored order, within a quarter of an hour, all the paijia heads had gathered at the yamen, their faces long and sorrowful.

The procedure for taking over a city was well-practiced. Lu Zeyang didn’t need to involve himself much. The naturalized cadres and the paijia heads would handle the affairs. They immediately dispatched laborers and teams to fight fires, capture routed soldiers, clear bodies, treat the wounded, and shelter refugees… all in an orderly fashion.

Public and private warehouses, as well as the residences of the fleeing members of the “Zheng rebels,” were all sealed. Marines stood guard, strictly prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving, pending an inventory and inspection by the Planning Commission’s special search team.

Although fires had broken out in many parts of the city, none of them were large. After organizing a response, they were quickly extinguished. The fire near the Zhongzuosuo docks, however, had grown into a major blaze. Large quantities of flammable goods were burning fiercely, making it impossible to even get close. Lu Zeyang knew that with the current level of technology, fighting the fire with manpower was futile. He had no choice but to order the engineers to demolish a section of warehouses and residences to create a firebreak and prevent the fire from spreading.

“What a pity! What a pity!” Transmigrator Lu stamped his feet and beat his chest. The warehouses and storage yards at the docks were piled high with trade goods: sugar, raw silk, silk fabrics, and various other commodities, all now engulfed in flames. The sweet smell of burning sugar mixed with the acrid stench of burning raw silk was nauseating. Crates upon crates of porcelain cracked and shattered in the inferno.

At this moment, someone reported that several of Zheng Zhilong’s concubines and maids had been captured in the city, and his personal seal and many documents had been found in his private office.

“Detain the captives with the others for now. Don’t touch the seal and documents. Wait for the intelligence department to take them,” Lu Zeyang ordered. He thought to himself that Zheng Zhilong really had the makings of a true warlord. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, he didn’t cling to the silver-filled Zhongzuosuo like some miserly merchant. Instead, he decisively “redeployed” under the escort of his black guards and Japanese mercenaries. As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no lack of firewood. Throughout history, those who could bend and adapt were the ones who achieved great things. No wonder the intelligence department wanted him killed if possible.

“A pity your old lair is probably about to become a pile of rubble too,” Lu Zeyang thought with a touch of malice. It was a shame the military-industrial complex hadn’t developed white phosphorus shells yet, otherwise… hehe!

Shi Zhiqi led two companies in hot pursuit. The Zheng family army, having been hit by volleys of rifle fire and heavy artillery, ran no slower than expected. Although Shi Zhiqi sent a platoon to sprint forward and intercept the fleeing soldiers, even at full speed, they couldn’t catch the desperately fleeing men. The area around Zhongzuosuo was a landscape of rolling hills and dense forests. Many of the terrified Zheng soldiers simply plunged into the woods and hid, trembling. This would inevitably require a follow-up force to comb through the area with long spears.

With the Zheng army completely scattered and routed soldiers everywhere, it was impossible to determine the escape route of Zheng Zhilong’s main party. The special reconnaissance team that had been in contact with them had also lost track of Zheng Zhilong’s direction.

There were not many escape routes from the area near Zhongzuosuo where the Zheng army had formed up. The city was situated on a narrow plain between Wulao Peak and the sea. Since the Furong Tunnel that would lead to the other side of the mountain had not yet been built, Old Zheng could only escape from the direction of Nanputuo Temple—then called Puzhao Temple—or out through the west gate of the city.

The direction of Puzhao Temple led to Wulao Peak, a mountainous area with dense forests, which was certainly advantageous for an individual trying to hide his tracks. However, if Zheng Zhilong’s large retinue entered the mountains, it would be difficult for them to quickly shake off their pursuers. Therefore, Shi Zhiqi judged that he had likely fled from the west gate of the city, following the relatively flat coastal route towards the future tourist ferry terminal or the Yundang Lake. These two locations, with their narrow waterways, were currently beyond the reach of the Senate Navy’s power. Moreover, just across the water was another of his important strongholds, Gulangyu. Given Old Zheng’s character as a cunning warlord, it would be unlike him not to have a few escape boats stashed there.

“Get me Hornet team!” Shi Zhiqi immediately had someone contact Qian Shuixie and told him his assessment.

“I agree with your judgment, but we can’t rule out the possibility of a feint. I’m currently on Wulao Peak. I’ll take my men to the Puzhao Temple area to intercept,” Qian Shuixie said over the walkie-talkie.

“Good, we’ll split up!”

“I’ve ordered a small team to rendezvous with you on the way. They are equipped with sniper rifles. I hope they will be useful to you.”

“Thanks a lot,” Shi Zhiqi said. “Over!” He put down the headset and waved his hand. “Pursue along the coastline!”

At this moment, Zheng Zhilong was also cursing his luck. The all-encompassing military might displayed by the Kunzei had repeatedly shattered his understanding of what a “fierce army” was. He had never imagined that even the Kunzei’s own cannons, which he had acquired from the Kirishitan at great cost, had failed to halt their advance. The enemy had flattened the gun positions on the city walls with just two or three salvos.

And the Japanese and black guards, in whom he had placed such high hopes, were utterly powerless against the Kunzei. They had served no purpose other than to act as human shields and cover his escape. The fifty Japanese guards left behind to cover the rear had been easily annihilated by a single volley and a bayonet charge from the Kunzei. As for Matos’s black guards, half of them had disappeared during the rout, either killed or deserted.

“Damn these heaven-cursed Kunzei!” Zheng Zhilong cursed silently. He watched as a mere two hundred or so Kunzei, with fixed bayonets, pursued and slaughtered his army of several thousand, who were like a flock of sheep being chased and cut down. Those who couldn’t run simply collapsed on the ground, closed their eyes, and awaited their fate. A feeling of utter misery washed over him.

“My lord!” Tōtarō ran over, his tachi in hand. “If we keep running like this, the Kunzei will surely catch us. I will take some men to hold them off. Please, my lord, hurry!”

Zheng Zhilong looked at the pursuing marines and shook his head. “For you to go and hold them off would be like throwing an egg against a rock. You would just be sacrificing many good men for a few moments of time. Go and bring Matos to me.”

Matos’s hat was gone, his buttons were undone, and his face was covered in soot. He ran over and said loudly, “General! We mustn’t stop! Run towards the sea… we’ll be at the shore soon and can take a boat…”

Zheng Zhilong said in a low voice, “If we run like this in such a large group, we’ll all be caught and wiped out sooner or later. We must split up.”

Matos didn’t quite understand, but Tōtarō immediately did. “Kagemusha!” (shadow warrior). He then shook his head in frustration. “A pity we didn’t prepare one in advance!”

“Hehe, no matter,” Zheng Zhilong said. “Matos will be the kagemusha!”

Tōtarō was stunned for a moment, then understood. The black guards, with their different skin color and uniforms, stood out from the regular Zheng soldiers. The Kunzei would surely follow the black guards.

“Matos, you take the black guards and some of your men and continue to the docks,” Zheng Zhilong said. “You, take a few elite samurai and my personal guards, and escort me up Wulao Peak! We can escape by crossing the mountain. Xiamen Island is large, and the Kunzei only have a few hundred men; they won’t be able to search everywhere. We’ll find another opportunity to cross over to the mainland.”

“Yes, my lord!” Tōtarō nodded and immediately began to explain the plan to the bewildered Matos. Matos, a man of mixed Portuguese and African descent, was not quick-witted enough to grasp all the subtleties, but he understood the part about luring the pursuers to cover Zheng Zhilong’s escape. Besides, fleeing to the docks to take a boat seemed like an easier way to escape than climbing a mountain. So, he immediately declared that he would not retreat and would lead his troops to the docks to take a boat.

“Good, I’m counting on you,” Zheng Zhilong said. “If you escape, we will meet in Nan’an County.”

Matos led the main force and continued to flee along the coastline. Tōtarō selected twenty of his best samurai, skilled in both musketry and swordsmanship, and, along with a dozen of Zheng Zhilong’s personal guards, escorted Zheng Zhilong as he fled towards Puzhao Temple.

In the area of Puzhao Temple, Qian Shuixie and his Hornet team were setting up an ambush. It was difficult to establish a tight blockade in such a mountainous and forested terrain. Fortunately, the paths here were rugged, and there was only one main road leading into the mountains, which passed in front of Puzhao Temple. Qian Shuixie believed that even if Zheng Zhilong was traveling light, he would still have at least thirty or forty men with him. If such a large group tried to cross the mountains through the forest, they would inevitably get separated. Moreover, the situation on Xiamen Island was currently unclear. Zheng Zhilong would not risk traveling with only four or five men. Even if he didn’t encounter the landing Australians, he could still fall prey to his own mutinous subordinates. He would most likely take the main mountain path with a large retinue. Therefore, Qian Shuixie decided to position most of his team on the slopes near Puzhao Temple.

There were several members in Qian Shuixie’s team who were familiar with the local area. Under their guidance, he also set up observation posts on several nearby small paths that were easy to cross. A dozen telescopes simultaneously monitored the various roads and paths around Puzhao Temple, just waiting for Zheng Zhilong to walk into their trap.

Tōtarō escorted Zheng Zhilong as they ran for their lives. They discarded everything they didn’t need, except for their weapons and some emergency valuables. Zheng Zhilong led them on the mountain paths to avoid the scattered soldiers and the pursuing Kunzei. At this point, the lawless, routed soldiers were more dangerous than the Kunzei. Several times, they had to fight their way through them. After a difficult journey, they finally reached the vicinity of Puzhao Temple. Without resting, they continued towards Wulao Peak.

“Captain, at six o’clock, a suspicious group is approaching from 800 meters out,” the observer immediately reported to Qian Shuixie.

Qian Shuixie raised his telescope. Sure enough, on the mountain path 800 meters away, a small group of people was trekking along. Judging by their main weapons, tachi and Japanese-style matchlocks, they were likely Zheng Zhilong’s Japanese guards. It was highly probable that Zheng Zhilong was among them.

Qian Shuixie picked up his walkie-talkie to contact the various observation posts. “All observation posts, be advised: a group of enemies is about to break through. All intersections, be on the lookout for any individuals trying to sneak past!”