Chapter 636 - Advancing Troops

On June 29, 1630, by the Gregorian calendar, the Fubo Army Field Army fully garrisoned the Grand Camp beneath Chengmai City. He Ming established the campsite two kilometers northwest of the Chengmai County seat, less than two hundred meters from the postal road. If the government army wished to pass along the road and reach Lingao, they would have to take this position.

The Grand Camp was a large pentagonal fortification constructed according to the bastion defense system. The entire camp was protected by earthen ramparts exceeding a man's height. Cannons and bunkers had been positioned on the ramparts, with deep trenches and abatis laid below. Tall observation towers were built atop the ramparts as standard. With the aid of high-powered telescopes, every movement within more than ten kilometers around Chengmai County seat could be monitored clearly.

He Ming issued orders: immediately sever all contact between Chengmai County seat and the outside world. Ambush sentries had been positioned outside all three city gates; anyone attempting to enter or exit would be arrested.

Seeing that movement through the city gates was impossible, the government offices inside the city sent people to rappel down the walls. Bei Wei ordered the snipers of the Special Reconnaissance Team, armed with bolt-action rifles equipped with telescopic sights, to lie in ambush around the perimeter. In the following days, anyone attempting to rappel was shot dead at the foot of the wall. Then people attempted to descend at night—but deadly gunshots still rang out even in the darkness. By morning, those who had tried to leave the city often lay dead beneath the walls. No matter how pitch-black the night, it could not protect them.

Judging from the slain rappellers, they almost invariably carried urgent tangbao (official reports). The captured documents were rushed to headquarters to be opened. Aside from the usual clichés requesting reinforcements and inflating battle results, they had recorded everything observed from the city walls in minute detail.

He Ming gave the order: "Immediately blockade the city wall. Do not allow the enemy to spy on our army!"

"Ping."

With the crisp crack of an SKS rifle, a militiaman peering down from between the battlements swayed and fell.

"Hit! Chest shot!" called the soldier monitoring activity on the wall with high-powered binoculars from the observation tower.

"The score is 7:2 now—you fellows need to catch up," Bei Wei said with a smile. Behind him stood five or six Special Reconnaissance Team warriors. Yang Zeng, the Light Infantry Company Commander of the 1st Infantry Battalion, stood beside him. Behind him were also several Light Infantrymen wearing green cords.

They were positioned on a small mound approximately two hundred meters from the city wall. At this distance, the bows and firearms on Chengmai's walls were powerless.

The Special Reconnaissance Team and Light Infantry had originally been positioned here to execute the mission of sweeping enemy forces from the wall. He Ming had ordered that the enemy not be permitted to spy on the Field Army's movements below, so the Light Infantry of each battalion practiced combat marksmanship by using precision shooting to clear enemies from the walls. The exercise had evolved into a competition between the Special Reconnaissance Team and the Light Infantry, with their targets being the minzhuang (commoner conscripts) and village militia standing on Chengmai's city wall.

"The Special Reconnaissance Team uses better guns than us," Yang Zeng said, somewhat unconvinced. The Special Reconnaissance Team used Australian fast rifles, which exceeded the Minié rifles his men used in rate of fire, accuracy, and range—and they produced no smoke when firing. Some guns were even equipped with telescopic sights, capable of hitting targets at incredible distances.

"Fine, I'll use a Minié rifle too." Bei Wei tossed the SKS rifle in his hand to a soldier behind him and accepted a Minié rifle in exchange.

Judging from the English letters "WLB" branded on the stock, this Minié rifle belonged to one of the earliest batches assembled with seamless steel pipes and parts from the Old Space-Time. The gun had been maintained very well. Bei Wei examined it; there was also a "J+" mark on the stock—the symbol for high-precision rifles, indicating this weapon could be used for sniping.

"Not a bad gun!" He praised, then asked Yang Zeng: "Yours?"

"It's mine," Yang Zeng confirmed. "Currently only sharpshooters in the Light Infantry Company are equipped with this type."

Bei Wei gestured, took a paper cartridge, and skillfully loaded the weapon. The Special Reconnaissance Team also conducted shooting training with Minié rifles, and they even drilled with a miscellaneous assortment of captured muskets, three-barreled guns, and matchlocks made in England, Portugal, Japan, and the Great Ming—in order to be capable of using whatever weapons came to hand in emergencies.

Bei Wei pressed his cheek to the gun several times and tried aiming, then called out: "Indicate target!"

"Front, 2 o'clock direction!" shouted the soldier on the observation tower.

The barrel of the Minié rifle swung quickly in that direction. Bei Wei spotted a figure flash behind a battlement. He didn't fire, instead focusing his attention on the nearby battlements.

Sure enough, a figure appeared near three or four battlements away. Almost by subconscious physical reaction, he completed the posture adjustment in an instant and squeezed the trigger.

The bullet grazed the peeping militiaman and shattered a brick on the battlement. The terrified militiaman immediately crawled flat onto the ground.

A burst of laughter rang out on the mound. Bei Wei smiled and shook his head. "Missed by a bit!"

The accuracy of the Minié rifle ultimately couldn't compare with rifles like the SKS. Had he been using an SKS, or even a bolt-action rifle, he could have fired a follow-up shot very quickly after a miss. With a Minié rifle, that wasn't possible.

"My turn!" Yang Zeng was eager to try. He took back his J+ Minié rifle and reloaded. "Indicate target!"

The observation post reported: "Enemy, front, 11 o'clock direction."

Yang Zeng held his breath and concentrated.

"Ping—"

"Hit! Shoulder shot!"

"That fellow! He was lucky he dodged fast!" Yang Zeng said. "He hid behind the embrasure!"

"Enemy is moving a cannon!" the observation post on the tower suddenly shouted. "9 o'clock direction!"

"Free fire!" Bei Wei commanded.

Gunshots rang out in a ragged volley. Because it was free fire, there was considerable controversy over who had shot which target. Arguments arose frequently on the mound about who had killed a particular militiaman.

The minzhuang moving the cannon fell one after another. The survivors huddled beneath the battlements, not daring to move.

"Quick! Quick, push the cannon!" A garrison squad leader behind them waved a designated sword, threatening beheading to force the minzhuang to continue shifting the cannon.

The minzhuang practically crawled on the ground to barely maneuver the cannon into the firing position facing the mound.

Bei Wei didn't issue the order to enter foxholes. The largest cannons on Chengmai's wall were merely "Bowl-Mouth Cannons"—mid-Ming dynasty pieces inferior even to medium-sized folangji guns. Their range was at most one hundred meters; the shots couldn't possibly reach the mound.

Sure enough, the hastily fired cannon produced no effect beyond emitting a puff of thick smoke on the wall that briefly obscured the snipers' vision.

After the smoke cleared, a fresh round of shooting felled several more gunners. That squad leader unwillingly took cover behind a battlement, waving his sword to force other minzhuang to come up and continue firing.

Bei Wei could see through his binoculars that the squad leader's sword kept waving between the battlements, yet he never exposed even a sliver of himself. Clearly this was a rather cunning fellow.

He felt a twinge of pity for those sallow and emaciated minzhuang and village militia, being driven in batches to die for nothing. Even if only wounded, their probability of death was very high under Ming dynasty medical conditions.

"Bring my .308 rifle!" Bei Wei ordered.

A Saiga-308 semi-automatic rifle was placed in his hands. This gun used NATO 7.62mm ammunition; the muzzle energy and penetration were far greater than Minié bullets and M43 (SKS/AK-47) ammunition.

He raised the rifle. That sword was still waving between the battlements, seemingly still threatening the minzhuang to continue loading the cannon. He estimated the distance, wind force, and human body dimensions, made a slight muzzle adjustment, and pulled the trigger.

Yang Zeng and the others saw only dust and fragments of brick fly up from the battlement with the gunshot. Instantly, blood sprayed like rain from behind the battlement.

Blood spatters sprayed all the way onto the brick wall of the South Gate tower. Everyone was startled, then cheered together. A dead silence fell over the city wall.

This terrifying competition swept all defenders from the city wall. Minzhuang and village militia could only lie behind the battlements, secretly peeping at the Hair Bandits' situation through the firing ports. Even this wasn't safe; more than once, bullets passed directly through the narrow firing ports and shattered the heads of militiamen who were peeping.

Starting from July 3rd, morale inside Chengmai City began to collapse. Minzhuang and village militia clamored one after another, refusing to ascend the walls for defense. The Chengmai Magistrate attempted suicide in the chaos, but his private secretary persuaded him not to rush into martyrdom—judging from the Hair Bandits' behavior, they didn't seem intent on taking the city. It was better to wait and see.

The Special Reconnaissance Team subsequently established a screening layer with a 10-kilometer radius centered on Chengmai County seat. Any government agents, tangma scouts, or even ordinary commoners entering this screening layer were captured or killed without exception.

He Ming's thinking was clear: the enemy was numerous, and they were few. With the Field Army's combat power and weapons advantage, defeating He Rubin's force in a pitched battle outside Chengmai would be no problem. The difficulty lay in ensuring the capture of most prisoners. This compelled him to ambush a portion of his forces in other directions, preventing the enemy from retreating toward Qiongshan or scattering in flight.

The general situation around Chengmai County seat was as follows: Chengmai County seat sat on the south bank of a small river, approximately three kilometers from the coastline. This river not only served as the county's moat but also formed a river-fork delta south of the city. However, the river was very shallow; before the rainy season arrived, the water depth was at most only 1 meter, incapable of forming an effective obstacle. Northwest of the county seat lay a peninsula called Xiaoyingchang, where there was a deserted village. The village had a water well, but according to pre-war reconnaissance, the well had been contaminated by saline-alkali soil and wasn't suitable for drinking. The postal road from Qiongshan passed outside the South Gate of the county seat, then turned northwest.

After repeated consideration, He Ming decided to use only 2 battalions, supported by artillery, to hold firm at the Grand Camp and block the Ming army's passage along the postal road. The 3rd Battalion would stand by in the mountains east of the county seat, waiting for an opportunity to cut off the government army's retreat while forcing them to continue pressing toward the main force. The 5th Battalion would lie in ambush south of the city, ready to launch an attack. This would roughly form an encirclement of the Ming army.

Of course, given the Field Army's strength, such an encirclement would not be tight. It would rely solely on the Fubo Army soldiers' superior mobility and powerful firepower to achieve mobile interception of the enemy with fewer troops. If the opponent happened to have one or two generals with outstanding organizational ability and good judgment who could organize men and horses to break out in time, escape would be possible. Therefore, He Ming had to keep the last Infantry Battalion, the 6th, in hand as a reserve.

The operational concept was straightforward: intercept the Ming army, defeat the Ming army, then force their remnants toward the coastline.

Using 2 battalions of 1,800 infantry to intercept nearly 20,000 enemy troops was an astonishing proposition just from the numerical comparison alone. Yet He Ming believed the challenge was manageable. With sufficient artillery and defensive works, although victory might not come easily, it would certainly be enough to withstand the enemy.

"No matter how many men He Rubin has, he can't commit them all to a charge at once—besides, there's simply not enough room to deploy them here. He will inevitably have to attack with only a few elite units at a time." He Ming explained his operational thinking to the officers. "It's difficult for the enemy to outflank us and launch a flank attack: north of the Grand Camp, we have naval gunfire support. If he wishes to dispatch troops to detour north of the Grand Camp for an attack, they will fall under combined fire from the Navy and our camp—hit from front and rear simultaneously."

After the plan was finalized, the 1st and 4th Battalions—responsible for holding the position—reinforced the Grand Camp's defenses. In addition to the Artillery Battalion's cannons, the spare cannons brought by artillery cadets were also deployed in the camp for enemy interception. A few 12-pounder mountain howitzers reinforced the 3rd and 5th Infantry Battalions for use as mobile firepower.

He Ming then called Bei Wei over: "Can you guarantee the 10-kilometer radius interruption?"

"I can," Bei Wei replied without hesitation. "I have deployed multiple ambush sentries and patrol teams to guarantee that no one within a 20-kilometer radius can scout our movements."

"Is the troop strength sufficient?"

"Barely sufficient. I have ordered all detachments of the Special Reconnaissance Team except the training detachment and the Sanya detachment to report to Chengmai immediately for deployment—they will arrive tonight. Once these detachments arrive, the interruption will be even more reliable."

"This matter is crucial." He Ming emphasized repeatedly. All his plans were built on troop mobility. No matter how superior the Fubo Army's mobility might be, it still depended on two legs, so the ambushing forces couldn't be positioned too far from the battle zone—otherwise, rushing to join the engagement in time would prove difficult. Since they were ambushing nearby, they had to completely blind the enemy's reconnaissance capability, preventing them from detecting their movements.

According to materials provided by the Historical Data Team, the Ming army established tang outposts every 20 li during normal marches, and scouts were dispatched 30 li ahead, behind, and to both flanks. Moreover, Ming scouts were all cavalry, possessing considerable mobility. In addition, the Ming army might have already sent spies ahead to investigate. Thus, blinding the enemy's eyes and ears had become an urgent priority.

After meeting with Bei Wei, Chen Haiyang also came ashore to discuss coordination. Both sides agreed on communication signals and methods. Chen Haiyang also ordered the ten "Typewriters" on the warships to be dismounted and brought ashore along with gunners and ammunition to assist in the defense.

By this point, all units of the Field Army were fully prepared for battle. Not only did each unit know its own combat plan, but they had also conducted on-site surveys of the battlefield where the great battle was about to unfold, to avoid any oversights.

On the morning of July 3rd, Special Reconnaissance Team scouts in Qiongshan transmitted the report: "Total enemy forces moving out." The Second Counter-Encirclement Campaign had officially begun.

He Rubin's grand army departed from Qiongshan, advancing along the postal road. Regarding warfare, he maintained a cautious approach. For this reason, immediately upon leaving Qiongshan, he dispatched large numbers of scouts and spies to investigate the situation.

Chaozhou Lieutenant Colonel Tong Yizhen led a dozen adjutant generals and over two thousand soldiers at the front of the column. At the very vanguard were three hundred cavalry led by his subordinate Chiliarch He Zhanran, prepared to attack rapidly upon encountering enemy forces on the road while screening the deployment of the main infantry and firearms behind.

Cavalry was an extremely useful branch, but Guangdong had few horses available, so the entire army had brought only eight hundred mounts. He Rubin believed cavalry wouldn't prove very useful on Hainan, since this campaign would likely consist primarily of siege warfare by encirclement, making additional cavalry redundant. Moreover, all reports indicated that the Hair Bandits lacked mules and horses and posed no cavalry threat.

Huizhou Lieutenant Colonel Yan Zungao led two thousand soldiers bringing up the rear. Ahead of them was the Firearms Camp led by the Governor's Standard Firearms Camp Chiliarch Li Baidao. The heavy cannons were mostly pulled by oxen, and there were many vehicles, so the marching speed was very slow, placing them second to last. Ahead of the Firearms Camp was the Cloud Ladder Camp—a professional unit specializing in storming cities and seizing stockades. Six hundred Cloud Ladder soldiers carried disassembled scaling ladders and numerous other devices. If a direct assault on a stockade became necessary, the Cloud Ladder soldiers would serve as the assault vanguard.

The Governor's Standard Camp Central Army Garrison Commander Sun Changzuo and Ye Zhengfang led a dozen personal generals, fifteen hundred Standard Camp soldiers, and five hundred of He Rubin's household guards to protect the Old Camp. Zhao Ruyi and the private secretaries moved with the Old Camp. Because they were marching to war, Zhao Ruyi had expressed his intention to travel on horseback, but He Rubin considerately prepared a sedan chair and three shifts of bearers for his use whenever desired.

He Rubin led his personal soldiers and a portion of the principal generals, walking at the head of the Old Camp. On the postal road, men shouted and horses neighed; smoke and dust rolled in thick clouds. Although it had rained continuously over the past few days, the weather had turned somewhat fairer recently, and the sunlight was scorching. Combined with the heavy dust on the road, many soldiers drank all the water in their portable clay jars and leather bags before they had walked much distance.

Nearly every time they reached a clear stream, soldiers and horses crowded to the riverbank to drink. People jostling, horses neighing—a chaotic mess.

"Tell the generals: keep men and horses moving quickly!" He Rubin urged his subordinate generals, refusing to let soldiers linger too long by the river lest they disorder the ranks and be raided by the enemy in the gap.

But the enemy evidently had no intention of launching raids. Even under such high-risk conditions as the entire army fording rivers, the scouts found no traces of enemy activity nearby.

The 24 tang scouts he had dispatched continuously sent back reports of peace on all fronts. He Rubin felt somewhat reassured.

"Order all armies: no delays permitted!" he commanded.

The distance between Qiongshan and Chengmai was only a half-day journey at normal marching speed. Following the government army's average pace of twenty to thirty li per day, this stretch of road might take three or four days to cover. But Hainan was different from other places—there were few prefectures and counties along the way, and the countryside was impoverished. Unless passing through a prefecture like Qiongshan or Danzhou, where official granaries stored substantial grain reserves, the region simply could not supply a grand army. If they marched slowly according to standard practice, they would exhaust the grain carried with the army prematurely. He Rubin therefore instructed the generals to urge all units to advance as rapidly as possible.

(End of Chapter)