Chapter 673 - Surrounded
There was no answer from the darkness—the enemy simply continued their slow, methodical advance. Wang Wu could see they were cunning. The main force crept forward, halting only when they reached three hundred meters. At that distance, even the best Minié rifleman couldn't guarantee hitting his target.
The sergeant leading the guard squad spoke grimly. "They mean to wait us out. If they do, we're finished."
Just then, from the direction of Zhaopu Village came a wave of commotion and shouting—women's and children's wailing, coarse curses, the screams of captured pigs, and the frantic cackling of chickens and ducks, all mingling into chaos. Clearly, bandits had entered the village.
"This is terrible!" Liu Bing cried, her voice breaking. "Uncle is still in the village!"
Seeing the village descend into chaos, Wang Wu's heart sank. Liu Dazhu was probably already done for.
Wang Wu had been a militia squad leader and could assess the danger with practiced eyes. He nervously calculated the work team's strength. They had plenty of guns—every soldier and team member carried a Minié rifle, plus three revolvers between them. But only seven people showed no symptoms and could actually fire. Another five or six with lighter symptoms might be able to hold weapons. Holding off several hundred attackers with twelve rifles was impossible.
"We only have twelve people who can shoot—we need to send someone to the prefectural city for help immediately!" Wang Wu said.
The sergeant hesitated. "If we send someone, we have even fewer people here..."
"Send someone and there's a chance of survival. Hold on here alone and we all die!"
"Alright, I'll send someone."
They decided to dispatch the corporal for reinforcements—he was the most experienced soldier after the sergeant. Wang Wu gave him both his own revolver and Liu Bing's. Rifles couldn't be reloaded effectively in close combat. He also gave him a large machete for hand-to-hand fighting. But everyone knew that if it came to close combat, the corporal's chances of escape were slim.
"Sergeant, put your best marksman in the watchtower to suppress the enemy! Bring up several rifles and extra ammunition. And find someone with mild symptoms to help him reload!"
"Right!" The sergeant nodded and continued issuing orders. "Everyone prepare extra rifles. Those who can move, help load ammunition! Everyone take cover behind the berm slope. Tents are to be taken down immediately."
Gou Xunli wiped sweat from his brow. The sky hung heavy with clouds, the air thick and muggy—rain was probably coming. His poisoning plan had succeeded. According to the bought village liaison's report, the bald bandits had indeed washed the vegetables sold to them in the river before chopping and cooking them in a pot.
He and a few trusted men had waited in the village until afternoon, estimating that everyone inside the camp would be poisoned by then. Only then had he ordered the bandit contingent waiting over ten li away to close in.
Now he felt confident. The bald bandits were trapped. The liaison he had bribed had just come running with news: one of the Australian leaders had come to the village asking villagers to carry stretchers.
"Good. Take these brothers along—they'll be the men the village provides." Gou Xunli narrowed his eyes and glanced at the spy.
Beside him stood over a dozen capable men, all dressed in rags, looking no different from local villagers.
The liaison trembled. "This humble one couldn't possibly dare..."
Several bandits immediately showed savage expressions. The liaison wilted at once and obediently led the disguised men away.
Before long, Liu Dazhu, trussed up like a dumpling, was pushed and shoved into Gou Xunli's presence. His face was cut, his clothes torn to shreds. He had clearly put up a fierce fight.
A young bandit with a broken nose handed over a holster. "This is the bastard's Australian pistol."
"Hmm. Without firearms, just an ordinary savage." Gou Xunli examined the panting, bleeding prisoner at length.
"Name?"
"Liu—Dazhu."
"You're the work team leader?"
"So what if I am?"
"You're in a hurry for stretchers—I suppose everyone inside has been laid out?" A cruel, triumphant smile spread across Gou Xunli's face. "Don't waste your energy. Even if I hadn't stopped you, by the time you carried them to Danzhou city, they'd all be dead anyway!"
Liu Dazhu felt the wound on his face throbbing with pain. He didn't really register Gou Xunli's words. But he knew he had fallen into bandits' hands.
What happened to those who fell into bandits' hands—Liu Dazhu, who had grown up in Daolu Village watching bandits rampage and kill, knew very well. He remembered clearly: in the second year of Tianqi, Dang Nagi had brought bandits to the great banyan at Daolu Village's entrance and killed over twenty villagers accused of being government informants in a single bloodbath. Blood had soaked the ground everywhere.
Now he too would die. At this thought, Liu Dazhu's legs went weak. He thought of the money he had saved, planning to build a new house after returning from Danzhou and take a wife. He never imagined he would die here so soon.
He was so unwilling to die like this. Liu Dazhu had never clung to his life so desperately before.
"You—do you want to die?" Gou Xunli was a shrewd character and noticed the change in his expression immediately.
Liu Dazhu answered honestly. "No."
"Then go call out to the people in the camp. Tell them to come out and surrender." Gou Xunli's tone turned persuasive. "Those willing to join our business that requires no capital can stay and work with us. You know Australian firearms—our outfit won't treat you badly. Those unwilling can go free!"
Liu Dazhu's mind stirred: not bad terms. But he quickly realized this was merely a ploy to deceive. Unless they were willing to become bandits, surrender meant certain death. Bandits never left witnesses alive.
Surrender? Become a bandit? Liu Dazhu thought of his days and nights at the training course, thought of each lesson. The Australians had swept away the darkness shrouding his heart, instilling an entirely new way of living and thinking, letting him see his own strength, see how boundless his hopes could be in the new society.
By comparison, what was "respect" in a bandit gang worth? Even surviving temporarily in a bandit lair would still lead eventually to death. The Australians never let traitors escape.
"I don't want to die, but I won't call out to betray my people. Kill me if you want." Liu Dazhu trembled slightly. "This old man has no luck—won't live to see the day the new society succeeds!"
Gou Xunli could see this man had made up his mind. But he didn't care whether he called out or not. Knowing everyone inside was poisoned was enough.
"Take him away and chop his head off."
A young bandit kicked Liu Dazhu to the ground and hacked off his head with one blow.
"Hang it on a spear—show it to the people in the camp later!" Gou Xunli laughed wildly. "If any are still alive."
Knowing the people in the camp had definitely been poisoned, Gou Xunli grew bolder. He ordered the bandit contingent near Zhaopu Village to quickly surround the camp.
The main bandit force was led personally by Hu Lanyan. It included not just the core gang but also many "home-based bandits," totaling about two hundred men.
Seeing Liu Dazhu's headless corpse and the revolver taken from him, Hu Lanyan grinned from ear to ear.
"Brother is truly formidable! Without lifting a finger, you've brought down the bald bandits. Elder brother is impressed!" Hu Lanyan had thought this venture was a losing proposition, but now an Australian pistol was already in hand. Once they slaughtered all the bald bandits in the camp, they would have dozens of genuine Australian muskets.
"Just doing my duty." Gou Xunli smiled. "I present this pistol to elder brother."
Hu Lanyan grinned broadly. Not knowing how to wear a weapon belt, he simply hung the holster on himself and drew the Lingao-version revolver to examine it. The barrel had a wheel attached that rotated when spun; inside the wheel were holes with loaded rounds visible.
These cartridges were different from others—the bases all had something like a small copper piece. Hu Lanyan turned the weapon over and over, unable to figure out what made this strange pistol so powerful that the Australians could dominate Hainan with such things. Unable to understand and not daring to tinker further, he had a subordinate wrap gun, holster, and ammunition in silk for later, planning to question a prisoner about it.
"Brother, the rest is yours—"
"This job is yours to finish." Hu Lanyan was in excellent spirits and delegated fully.
"Thank you, brother!" Gou Xunli then summoned all the bandit lieutenants.
"The paths here are poor—they can't easily escape." Gou Xunli pointed at one lieutenant. "In a moment, take a dozen brothers and fell trees to block the mountain path."
"Second boss, felling trees is easy, but the brothers have walked dozens of li and eaten nothing but a few cold taros..."
"What are you complaining about?" Gou Xunli laughed. "Isn't this the Zhaopu Village liaison? He's been providing grain and labor for the bald bandits—now he'll provide for our brothers! After we finish off the Australians, he'll have to provide women too!"
The lieutenants roared their approval. The liaison's face went ashen. He had been tempted by the silver, and Gou Xunli had repeatedly promised he bore only a grudge against the Australians, with no designs on the village—that was why he had agreed to become a bandit spy. He never expected that while Gou Xunli did indeed mean to destroy the Australians, he would ravage the village too!
"You—go tell the village to prepare food and wine! Get ready for a victory feast!"
While the bandits were ravaging the village, Gou Xunli was tensely briefing the lieutenants. He wanted them to prepare plenty of arrows, kindling, gunpowder, and fire-starting tools in case fire attack became necessary.
"...Whatever you do, don't get too close. Getting hit by a bald-bandit musket volley is no joke!" From Xin Nari, he knew the bald bandits' muskets could shoot about a hundred yards at maximum, though they usually opened fire around fifty yards. "The main force must stay more than three hundred paces back from the berms. Surround the camp properly and wait for my signal!"