Chapter 634 - Combat Plan

"The most suitable locations are, first, at the foot of Chengmai County proper, and second, at Shishan, the midpoint between Qiongshan and Chengmai." Dongmen Chuiyu indicated these two positions with his teaching stick.

"According to map data and Special Reconnaissance Team reconnaissance, Shishan has an elevation of 112.5 meters. It is a conical, solitary extinct volcano with slopes ranging from 31 to 55 degrees. Vegetation consists primarily of mixed deciduous and evergreen forest. The nearest postal road lies 362.4 meters away. Intercepting the government army here, the Fubo Army would possess a clear terrain advantage."

Following Dongmen Chuiyu's pointer, the officers' gazes shifted to a small hill on the sand table. The postal road curved past the hill's base, and a broad open area spread across the southern foot of the slope.

"Please turn your attention to the slide."

At his words, photographs of Shishan taken on-site appeared on the screen wall—images showing the mountain's profile, the terrain, and views from various angles depicting the distance and orientation relative to the postal road.

The assembled officers had just finished studying the topographic model on the sand table. Now viewing the actual photographs, the comparison gave them a far more concrete impression.

"Shishan lies seventeen kilometers east of Qiongshan County seat and sixteen kilometers west of Chengmai County seat—essentially the midpoint between the two. Engaging the enemy here, our side would possess a definite geographical advantage. Artillery can be positioned on the summit. An observation post established at the peak and equipped with high-power telescopes could monitor the situation within a radius exceeding ten kilometers."

Everyone studied the slide intently. Some began discussing where to deploy the formation.

From the sand table and photographs, it was evident that a large open area existed north of the mountain. Deploying the main force here would suffice to compel the main Ming army into a pitched battle. Combined with artillery fire support, the advantage was obvious.

"If we fight here, once the enemy routs, they'll scatter in every direction." Someone raised an objection. "This is an inland area with continuous hilly terrain. Judging from the photographs, vegetation is quite dense. Once the enemy disperses, capturing prisoners will be extremely difficult."

"Our soldiers are trained according to 'line up and get shot' tactics," Fu Sansi coughed. He was a former PLA company commander who had spent considerable time in the recruit camp and had developed a talent for training soldiers. He currently served as Inspector General of Training. Due to the shortage of professional soldiers, he had been temporarily assigned as commander of the 5th Battalion for this army expansion. "At present, roughly half the soldiers in the Army were recruited within the last three months. Most remain relatively unfamiliar with skirmisher combat in complex terrain. Once a pursuit and interception operation develops, line infantry becomes almost useless—we can only rely on grenadiers and light infantry."

"I believe the decisive battle should occur beneath Chengmai City," said Zhu Quanxing. This man was about thirty, from a petty clerk background, with a full beard and small eyes. He was the commander of the newly formed 6th Infantry Battalion, possessed of absolutely no combat experience. He had become acting battalion commander solely through fanatical devotion to linear formation tactical drills.

The terrain beneath Chengmai City was flat, making it easy for undertrained troops to deploy, maneuver, and fight. Moreover, Chengmai County seat lay very close to the sea and could receive naval support. By comparison, Shishan was over 20 kilometers from the coastline—the Navy couldn't even observe the action, let alone provide support.

"Here are photographs of Chengmai County seat and its surrounding environment." Dongmen Chuiyu switched the slide to show Chengmai County seat. The town was situated beside a river, no more than three or four kilometers from the seaside. The postal road arrived from the south, passed outside the South Gate, then turned northwest.

If the enemy was defeated here, a portion of the routed force would attempt to rush into Chengmai County seat, relying on the city walls to hold out for reinforcements, while another portion would retreat along the postal road toward Qiongshan County.

One of the multiple plans drafted by the Staff Department proposed pre-positioning a small force with artillery near Shishan or other favorable terrain to form an interception line. They would ambush the enemy as they fled past, while simultaneously pressing the routed army to surrender.

But this plan would disperse their forces further. Given the Field Army's overall shortage of manpower, serious doubts existed about whether a thin blockade formed by a small number of troops could successfully halt a routed army desperate to escape with their lives.

Another Staff Department plan: exploit the Fubo Army's superior mobility and battlefield control. After defeating the enemy army beneath Chengmai City, employ forces for mobile warfare—coordinating with armed agricultural vehicles if necessary—to block the postal road leading toward Qiongshan. Leave a gap in the direction of Chengmai County seat, funneling most of the routed troops into the city.

This would create a "caged bird" siege situation. With over ten thousand men crammed into tiny Chengmai—no provisions inside, no reinforcements outside—under the Fubo Army's overwhelming artillery fire, they could be forced to surrender very quickly. Even if they refused to surrender, the city could be breached with minimal delay.

Although this would mean breaking a Great Ming county seat, it was after all only a county seat. The death of a magistrate wouldn't cause too great a shock. After the battle concluded, they could simply withdraw from the city and allow later officials to declare it "recovered."

"I have an opinion." Someone raised his hand.

"Please speak." Dongmen Chuiyu recognized the man as Zhu Mingxia, commander of the 4th Battalion. He had extremely short hair and dark, rough skin. Very lean and capable, he came from the Armed Police and was highly skilled in squad and platoon tactics.

"First, the enemy may not necessarily surrender. If they refuse, attacking the city will inevitably result in relatively substantial casualties." He rose and spoke. "We do indeed possess artillery superiority, but the firepower of 12-pounder cannons and 24-pounder howitzers clearly cannot destroy the city walls. Soldiers will still have to scale the walls to break in. If the enemy is relatively tenacious, urban combat after we breach the walls could cost us significant casualties."

He strode to the sand table. "My suggestion is this: after defeating the enemy army, exploit our high mobility. After routing the enemy, rapidly squeeze the Ming army remnants into a juedi—a 'dead ground'—forming a complete encirclement to annihilate them. A small force surrounding a large fleeing enemy is not unprecedented in military history."

Everyone watched his pointer move with rapt attention.

"I studied the geographic data prepared by the Staff Department. There is one location that is extremely suitable." He pointed to a river fork triangle south of the county seat on the sand table. "This place is surrounded by water on three sides. Once the enemy enters, breaking out becomes extremely difficult. Our army can effectively form an encirclement against the enemy with a minimal number of troops."

"This location is too small, and the river depth is insufficient," Dongmen Chuiyu observed. "According to reconnaissance team reports, the river's average depth at present is only 1 to 1.2 meters—it can be forded with some difficulty."

"Then press them toward the seaside," Zhu Mingxia said.

This proposal won majority approval. First, everyone felt that ordering soldiers to carry ladders and scale walls would likely result in relatively heavy casualties. Second, forcing the enemy to retreat to the shoreline would allow naval warships to provide support. Under effective siege from both land and sea, and subjected to the overwhelming gunfire of naval vessels, enemy morale would collapse further, making mass surrender very likely.

The Staff Department immediately began researching and revising the plan.

Northwest of Chengmai County lay a small peninsula called Xiaoyingchang. If the enemy could be forced into this location, the Fubo Army would need only naval vessels and a modest infantry force to establish an encirclement posture.

Ultimately, He Ming decided to stage the decisive engagement beneath Chengmai County seat. His resolution was: deploy the main force south of Chengmai County seat, defeat the Ming main force in battle, then use mobile forces to push the enemy toward the coastline at Xiaoyingchang or into the county seat itself, achieving complete annihilation.

The total military strength committed to the pitched battle would be five infantry battalions: the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Infantry Battalions. Apart from the 2nd Infantry Battalion, which had been transferred to Sanya, the Lingao Garrison Battalion guarding Lingao, and the Infantry Training Unit drilling recruits, the Fubo Army's infantry units would deploy in full force.

The Artillery would commit three field artillery companies, plus a supplementary company formed from the Artillery Training Unit. This company, besides artillery cadets, would also carry as many as 20 cannons for replacement and reserve purposes.

For the Special Reconnaissance Team, in addition to Ye Mengyan's detachment, a detachment personally commanded by Bei Wei would be added.

Pan Da commanded the Engineer Company. He had originally wanted to organize an additional Capital Construction Engineering Corps unit, but time was short, so the Executive Committee decided to temporarily subordinate the engineering team constructing roads within Chengmai County to his command—men and equipment included.

The Fubo Army's auxiliary units were massive in scale, encompassing cooks, transport teams, medical teams, and stretcher teams. This component was staffed mostly by conscripted militia, organized into the Field Army Logistics Column. Jia Mofei served as Column Commander; having previously worked in the logistics industry, he brought considerable experience in organizing material transfers.

Total combat strength was ten thousand men. Among them: 4,500 infantry, 750 artillery, and 200 engineers. There were also 400 cadets from the infantry, artillery, and engineering branches, with the remainder comprising auxiliary personnel for transport, medical support, rear-area security, military industry, and other functions.

The Navy deployed two Type 8154 sloops, four twin-masted brigs, and twelve single-masted triangular-sail cutters. Simultaneously, a Marine battalion stood ready at Bopu at all times as the general reserve, prepared to be committed to combat as the situation required.

The Field Army reorganized and adjusted all units according to previously issued organizational regulations. The formally established basic tactical unit, the Infantry Battalion, was organized as follows: 8 companies per battalion—1 Grenadier company and 1 Light Infantry company, with the remainder being Line Infantry companies. This was a typical organization of the "Line Up and Get Shot" era. Grenadiers not only had to be "strong in build and brave in battle" but were also genuinely meant for grenade throwing. As for Light Infantry, the contemporary standard comprised soldiers who were short, agile, trained in skirmishing, and equipped with rifled muskets. However, since the Fubo Army was already fully equipped with rifled muskets and all soldiers received skirmisher training, Light Infantry had become merely a branch designation for those specializing in skirmishing warfare.

Each infantry company consisted of 3 officers, 5 non-commissioned officers, 1 drummer, 1 fifer, and 90 soldiers. Thus, the total combat personnel of a battalion was approximately 800 men—roughly sufficient to complete independent combat missions.

To inspire soldiers' sense of honor, Grenadiers and Light Infantry received special uniform decorations. Grenadiers were issued red cords; Light Infantry, green ones. Dangling from soldiers clad in shabby gray uniforms, these decorations possessed almost no aesthetic appeal whatsoever.

"This will have to do for now—we'll change uniforms after the battle. The soldiers look simply like flour sacks. Not martial at all." Wen Desi offered extensive commentary on the uniform issue after inspecting the troops. "The officers look too rustic as well—just having a command saber. They can't be distinguished at all. In linear warfare, the positions of officers and NCOs must be very conspicuous; only then can morale be boosted!"

"Put feathers on the officers' helmets?" He Ming's mind struggled to make the connection. He vaguely recalled from movies he had seen that officers in the linear warfare era wore feathers or plume-like decorations in their hats.

"Too ugly. You need suitable hats or helmets to use feathers properly. What does a safety helmet with a feather stuck in it look like!" Wen Desi said with dissatisfaction. "For now, use a rosette on the helmet for decoration. Look through the records—I recall someone has researched this extensively!"

Following the completion of the reorganization, the Senate held a grand flag-presentation ceremony at Maniao, awarding Army Flags to each battalion.

The Army Flag was bright red, with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center radiating light from a wormhole. On the five-pointed star was a raised clenched fist, symbolizing the Imperial Armed Forces. A white strip of cloth bearing the battalion's designation was sewn close to the flagpole. The pole itself was a long white shaft, and the finial was a bronze Double-Headed Eagle symbolizing Imperial Power watching over the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. The Double-Headed Eagle stood upon a bronze oak leaf wreath, inside which was the unit designation in Roman numerals. Beneath the Double-Headed Eagle, gold ribbons could be added to mark the battalion's honorary titles and decorations won.

In addition to the Battalion Army Flag, each battalion could also possess its own Battalion Flag, with unlimited design possibilities, as a unique regimental emblem. This sparked a wave of totem fanaticism. The five participating battalions employed animals, patterns, and various other motifs; for a time, the discussions were lively. Since the aesthetic sensibilities of each battalion and company commander varied, bizarre flags such as the Double Bear Underpants Flag and the Ascending Dragon Burping Flag appeared one after another. Given that the arguments produced no resolution, the General Staff had to temporarily request that everyone table the discussion until after the battle.

Infantry companies below battalion level also received Company Flags, smaller in size than the Battalion Army Flags. Company Flags did not symbolize the Senate's authority like the Battalion Military Flags; they served merely as unit markers.

After the flag-presentation ceremony concluded, the Field Army held a military parade at Maniao. The entire army conducted an infantry march-past in half-battalion units. Dust rolled across the drill ground, and cannons rumbled. Nearby commoners all understood that Lingao's Australians—or Hair Bandits—were about to fight a major battle with the Government Army.

While the Fubo Army was preparing for war at Maniao, the government forces assembled in Guangzhou finally commenced a large-scale sea-crossing operation in June 1630, after more than two months of preparation.

Whether it was the reconnaissance detachments of the Special Reconnaissance Team lying in ambush outside Qiongshan County seat and the Haikou Thousand Household Post, or the intelligence organization inside Qiongshan County, or even the intelligence personnel in Guangzhou—all were issuing warnings that the main body of the government army had begun crossing the sea to assemble.

The garrison troops and local militia of Qiongshan, Chengmai, Wenchang, and other counties were also assembling toward Haikou. According to the latest reports, the government army planned to conduct a Grand Review and Sacrifice to the Flag at Haikou at the end of June by the solar calendar.

According to general custom, after the Grand Review and Sacrifice to the Flag, the army would depart immediately. A great battle was imminent.

The sound of signal cannons jolted Gou Chengxuan from deep sleep. He scrambled up and hastily dressed. Ever since Lai Da had volunteered to go to Lingao to gather military intelligence and mobilize the militia, his own circumstances had improved considerably. Although nothing was explicitly announced, He Rubin seemed to treat him as a guest advisor. Not only had he been assigned a fifty-something-year-old soldier for personal service, but his provisions were now far more generous than at the beginning. Although he didn't compare to an official staff member, he at least ate better than ordinary soldiers.

Because he didn't count as official staff nor was he an officer, he customarily didn't need to attend roll-call assemblies and the like. He Rubin would only summon him when his consultation was needed. Gou Chengxuan passed his days quite casually.

At the end of June, he crossed the sea with He Rubin's central army to Qiongzhou Prefecture. After returning to Qiongzhou Prefecture, he spent nearly every waking and sleeping hour in a state of extreme anticipation. Recalling how he had hidden like a rat for over two years—not only evading the Hair Bandits' searches but also enduring others' disdain—and now he was about to fight his way back to his hometown with the grand army. The exhilaration was indescribable.

Starting with the crossing of the central army, the garrison troops and local militia mobilized from various counties in northeastern Qiongzhou arrived at the Qiongshan Grand Camp one after another.

He Rubin assembled the grand army outside Qiongshan County seat. To demonstrate his willingness to share hardships and personally attend to military affairs, he established his Commander's Tent outside the city walls rather than occupying quarters inside.

In the fields outside the county seat, government army camps connected one after another. Drums and horns sounded to the sky day and night; men shouted and horses neighed—a tense pre-war atmosphere enveloped everything.

The military camp where Gou Chengxuan stayed was the site of He Rubin's Central Army Camp, situated on a small hillside. It faced the sun and was sheltered from the wind. Standing before his tent, he could overlook the entire drill ground in front of the Central Army stockade.

Although the formal drill and Flag Sacrifice wouldn't commence until chen hour (7-9 AM), the officers and soldiers originally sleeping soundly in their respective tents had been awakened by that burst of cannon and horn sounds and were streaming out one after another. The various camps became bustling with activity—thousands of figures moving, men shouting and horses neighing.

Soldiers were hurrying to tidy their clothing, some standing anxiously at the edge of the thatch clumps to relieve themselves. Those with quick hands were already surrounding the cooks, holding rice bowls and ready to eat. Others were packing swords and spears, donning helmets and armor, cleaning firearms, saddling warhorses... and so on. The sounds of all these activities—talking, footsteps, objects clattering—blended into one noisy chorus.

When had Gou Chengxuan ever witnessed such a spectacle? Beholding this magnificent display, he thought: The government army's might is so formidable—no matter how fearsome the Hair Bandits' firearms, they surely cannot withstand this. He looked around, excitement filling him.

Small groups had already begun assembling on the drill ground. Those wearing neat armor and carrying well-maintained weapons were Camp Soldiers transferred from the mainland; those with old, worn armor and weapons were the local Garrison Troops; those wearing only cloth uniform jackets and bearing miscellaneous weapons were the Village Militia. No matter which group, all carried various flags.

"Wooo—wooo—wooo—" The long horn sound rang out again. Gou Chengxuan gazed into the distance and discovered that an earthen platform had been constructed on the drill ground, presumably for the inspection and Flag Sacrifice. A cloth canopy was erected on the platform, with chairs arranged beneath. On the left and right sides, many flags of various sizes had been driven into the ground. A wide flight of steps extended diagonally from the front edge down to ground level. Planted in the earth to the left front of the General's Platform stood a gigantic flagpole. A Central Army Sitting Banner was unfurling in the morning wind, making a flapping sound.

(End of Chapter)