Chapter 833: Each with Their Own Thoughts

Beikai stood atop the watchtower of the corner bastion. Without binoculars, he could discern the bandits marching slowly in the distance, clustered in twos and threes like scattered goat droppings across the landscape.

He had known since yesterday that the bandits' target was Hongji—a large armed group had gathered openly less than twenty li away. Their intentions were transparent. Moreover, a letter had arrived from Haiyang several days prior, warning him to be on heightened alert: bandit gangs were recruiting on a large scale, preparing to "pull off a major job."

"Alert, alert—am I supposed to defend Hongji with thirty men?" Beikai muttered, complaining under his breath. Of course, he also had Zhang Dabala and the sailors from the Zhennan and several smaller boats under his command. Though Dabo Shipping was technically "civilian shipping," its sailors were all paramilitary personnel trained by the Navy. Many were even seasoned former pirates, quite capable in combat.

The three hundred-odd naturalized citizen laborers had received some military training and possessed the necessary weapons and equipment. When fighting erupted, they could all serve as militia. Combined with Hongji Fort's own cannons and the Zhennan's support from the sea, the probability of the fort being breached was extremely low. But Hongji was not merely a single fort—it was an urban area comprising one fort, two camps, and a commercial street. Concentrating the naturalized citizen laborers to hold Hongji Fort would certainly prove foolproof, but the two local laborer camps and commercial street would suffer devastation.

Unlike the naturalized citizens, the local laborers—though they found working here agreeable—had served the Lingao regime for a very short time and lacked sufficient identification with it. They had not undergone rigorous military training, and their organization, discipline, and determination to resist were all deficient. Once the bandits arrived, they would scatter and flee.

The local workers currently formed the main force for mining coal. If they all fled, Hongji's production would plummet by at least two-thirds. The commercial street and laborer camps, which had begun taking shape, would be destroyed by the bandits and would require time to recover. There were also the small railway tracks laid to the mine pits, the makeshift derricks and manual hoists installed at the pit edges for lifting. These things were all easily destroyed by bandits. Once the facilities were damaged, the entire coal mine's production efficiency would collapse.

The most dangerous consequence was that the scattered workers would spread news of Hongji being attacked. If the bandits also massacred many local workers in retaliation, recruiting local laborers in the future would become extremely difficult. After all, nobody wanted to live perpetually under the blade.

Beikai found himself facing a dilemma. He immediately convened Dugu Qiuhun, Bai Guoshi, and Zhao Xue—the other Senators present in Hongji—for an emergency meeting. Zhang Dabala and the marine platoon leader also attended.

The meeting decided to immediately relocate all laborers from the quarantine camp to the laborer camp, abandoning the quarantine camp to reduce the defensive perimeter. All naturalized citizen laborers would be armed—some to remain and guard Hongji Fort, others to defend the laborer camp. The straight-line distance from the laborer camp to Hongji Fort was merely two hundred fifty meters. Hongji Fort's artillery could effectively assist in defending the laborer camp.

Additional protective trenches would be excavated around the laborer camp and outside Hongji Fort, then filled with seawater. The large quantity of standardized bamboo stakes that had been shipped in would also be planted as obstacles. The goods and equipment in shops and the cafeteria would naturally be evacuated and concealed. Beikai originally wanted the sailors and cannons from the Zhennan and other ships to go ashore to strengthen the defense, but Zhang Dabala dissuaded him.

Zhang Dabala argued that the enemy would very likely attack by both land and sea. Removing the sailors and cannons would be tantamount to self-crippling. Once the sea was blockaded by the enemy, they would have no avenue of escape. Second, the ships could maneuver along the coast and use artillery to strike enemies attempting to outflank Hongji Fort from the side. This would limit the directions from which the fortress could be attacked, essentially reducing the defensive pressure on Hongji Fort itself.

As for the marines, Zhang Dabala believed there was no need to station them inside Hongji Fort. The marines could board the small boats, maneuver at sea, and await opportunities. Once they identified a weakness, the marines could rapidly land and launch a fierce attack from the bandits' vulnerable flank.

This proposal quite surprised Beikai. In his view, concentrating all forces inside the fortress to resist was the optimal approach—after all, reinforcements from Lingao would arrive in a day and a night at most. Sending troops out for "rear attacks" and "mobile warfare" gave him pause.

Zhang Dabala's reasoning differed fundamentally. He certainly understood Hongji couldn't be breached, but he was a recently defected "dragon-following" personnel. His eagerness to "perform meritorious deeds" far exceeded that of a Senator like Beikai. Killing as many enemies as possible was the way to demonstrate Hongji's capabilities. How could they simply cry for help and await reinforcements?

The marine platoon leader also agreed with Zhang Dabala's idea, pushing it even further. They would bring the twelve-pounder mountain howitzer, plus a few laborers to push the cannon. Whether on ship or after landing, the mountain howitzer—which two or three people could push while running—could provide tremendous fire support.

"Besides the gunners, add ten laborers to move with us, each carrying two portions of ammunition. Bring more on the ship as well. Ten canisters, four shells, and six solid shots." The marine ensign gestured as he spoke.

Bai Guoshi strongly supported Zhang Dabala's idea. He was young and spirited, and training with the Long-Range Exploration Team had given him both muscles and courage. He was no longer the pitiful university deadbeat of the past. He very much wanted to display some martial prowess for everyone to witness—and incidentally for Zhao Xue to see. Courage and violence had always served as the peacock's tail for men.

Zhao Xue had no interest in fighting and opposed going out to battle. But Dugu Qiuhun was intensely interested in sortying and resolutely demanded to go out to "fight to the death." His purpose, of course, was to accumulate political capital for his "comeback." To return to a violence agency, "military merit" was the most persuasive qualification.

Four Senators, two votes to two—they couldn't reach a decision under the system of collective Senator decision-making for major events. However, Bai Guoshi, Zhao Xue, and Dugu Qiuhun were, strictly speaking, all temporarily dispatched. The only permanent Senator at Hongji Station was Beikai; he possessed the authority to make the final decision.

In the end, Beikai decided to adopt Zhang Dabala's suggestion. The marine platoon and Dabo Shipping's vessels would handle outer-line maneuvering, awaiting opportunities to launch flank and rear attacks. The Senators would hold the camps. Dugu Qiuhun volunteered to lead a team to guard the laborer camp alone, and Beikai agreed—he had no wish to invite Zhao Xue's tears by sending Bai Guoshi.

The entire Hongji Mine was rapidly mobilized. The naturalized citizen laborers—all armed and organized—were immediately equipped and deployed by company. The main force was positioned in Hongji Fort; one company was stationed in the laborer camp. Dugu Qiuhun dressed for battle: donning an 80-style steel helmet, strapping on the Senator-exclusive steel plate chest armor, grasping a Wenzhou-made Japanese tachi in his right hand and a GLOCK 17 pistol with extended magazine in his left. He majestically ascended the walls of the laborer camp. Below, a dense crowd of local laborers had already gathered, with a dozen translators who understood both Chinese and the local language dispersed among them.

The local laborers were assembled and informed that a large band of bandits was about to descend upon Hongji. The laborers grew agitated. But after being intimidated with warnings like "The bandits are only seven or eight li away. If you run out on your own, you're delivering yourselves to death," no one dared to flee—after all, hiding in the stockade when bandits came was safest. Some laborers had brought their families; women, children, and elderly would hardly escape the bandits' clutches.

"Don't worry about the bandits coming. I'll lead everyone to beat them back!" Dugu Qiuhun struck a confident pose, waving the tachi in his hand. "Everyone work together, defend the stockade, and you'll protect the mine and yourselves! Anyone who doesn't put effort into defending the stockade and killing enemies knows what consequences await if the bandits break through!"

Then Dugu Qiuhun ordered equipment to be distributed to the able-bodied—all hastily assembled. Each able-bodied man received a rattan safety helmet, originally work hats for naturalized citizen laborers. With battle imminent, naturalized citizen laborers had all switched to "combat helmets" with cross-shaped reinforcing steel on top. The swapped-out helmets went to local laborers. Hastily processed wooden boards or rattan mats were hung on their bodies as makeshift armor. Small wooden boards were also strapped to their arms as shields. Insufficient standard spears for the local laborers meant a batch of sharpened, fire-hardened bamboo and wooden spears had to be hastily fashioned. Some laborers received various mining tools, serviceable for close combat if necessary.

Then the local laborers were partly deployed at the stockade entrance and partly positioned on the outer slope of the earthen walls. On the outer slope, protective barriers were erected using woven rattan and wooden boards. Atop the earthen walls stood the naturalized citizen laborer company—they would serve as reserves and supervisory troops.

"If you don't want to die! Use the tools in your hands to poke the enemies out!" Dugu Qiuhun roared murderously, waving his tachi. "Otherwise, once the bandits break in, your whole family dies! Don't be afraid! If one dies, Hongji Mining Bureau will support his wife and children for life! If you're wounded, we'll treat you! Beat back the bandits, and one month's wages are doubled! Anyone who goes soft, becomes a traitor, or creates chaos in the ranks—don't blame us for being ruthless; we'll shove a spear up his backside first!"

A dozen translators bellowed the translation in unison. The local laborers, seeing the naturalized citizens all equipped and murderous, understood these Chinese intended to use them as cannon fodder—but dared not resist. Resistance meant death too. Better to beat back the bandits and have a chance to survive.

Beikai ordered all shipped grenades distributed. A total of five hundred grenades were issued to militia among the naturalized citizen laborers—they had received at least one live-fire throwing exercise. To strengthen Hongji Fort's firepower, the typewriter from the Zhennan was also dismounted and installed on Hongji Fort's watchtower.

Hongji Station's small flotilla consisted of the Zhennan and four smaller boats. The ships maintained full combat readiness daily. The marine platoon and mountain howitzer boarded one longboat. Three other longboats provided cover. The Zhennan directly defended Hongji Station's coastline, blocking all seaborne attacks.

(End of Chapter)