Chapter 2198 - The Relief of Lianzhou
Fang Yuanwu, headman of the Junliao Pai positioned on Jinfeng Mountain, had long observed Australians encircling Yanxi Mountain. When black smoke rose from Yanxi's summit, he understood Li Sanjiu signaled him to attack, striking Australian flanks and rear to cover his breakout.
"Instruct everyone—take up arms and prepare descent!"
At his command, warriors immediately seized swords and spears. These two hundred men constituted relative elite compared to other pai forces—all able-bodied adults, each wearing rattan-woven armor. Though such armor offered modest protection, it proved lighter and more breathable than iron, ideally suited for mountain terrain.
"Headman! Should everyone charge out, what becomes of our plunder?" a subordinate inquired.
Recent days had witnessed extensive looting around Lianzhou, amassing substantial goods and valuables within their encampment, all awaiting transport homeward.
"Should we prevail, none dare touch it. Should we fall, we'll scatter—who'll concern themselves with plunder then!" Fang Yuanwu hefted his broadsword. "Everyone—rout the Hair-Clippers first!"
Fang Yuanwu enjoyed renown for daring and ferocity, commanding considerable prestige among Yao populations. When he raised his blade shouting, his men swarmed downslope following him.
Fang Yuanwu had engaged government forces repeatedly and witnessed their firearms. He understood muskets proved devastating—single volleys could fell many. Yet firearms couldn't sustain fire. Should they weather one or two volleys while closing to melee range, they frequently routed soldiers—or at minimum fought to draws. Should soldiers' volleys pin them down, however, they'd suffer not merely defeat but utter rout.
Yang Zeng lowered his binoculars. He'd known since the previous night that Yao forces occupied Jinfeng Mountain. Consulting maps, understanding enemy positioning there proved straightforward—this Li Sanjiu actually possessed some skill, demonstrating intuitive terrain grasp and inter-unit mutual support.
"Order artillery to commence firing," he commanded.
The six 12-pounder mountain howitzers stood already loaded, crouching silently amid grass. At the order, gun captains inserted friction primers.
Firing parameters had been preset—should Jinfeng Mountain's enemy attack, that slope constituted their sole route.
At the company commander's order, six mountain howitzers erupted sequentially. Cast-iron shells screamed toward Yao below, smashing into crowds and bouncing along, reaping lives throughout their paths.
Fang Yuanwu stood utterly unprepared when cannonade commenced—shock paralyzed him. Upon regaining senses, carnage surrounded him: corpses and severed limbs everywhere, blood pooling in all directions.
Fang Yuanwu had witnessed artillery previously, yet in this region, terrain meant government "pacification" forces typically avoided transporting heavy guns—maximally, Crouching Tiger cannons or small Frankish pieces. Regarding wooden cannons employed in private feuds—whether constructed from lychee wood or ironwood—bores couldn't be made excessively large nor powder charges too heavy. Frequently they served merely generating noise.
The Australians' bombardment far exceeded anything they'd envisioned.
Observing his men scattering in all directions, Fang Yuanwu grew frantic. "Everyone, charge forward!" Cannons firing one volley required considerable reloading time; should they rush hastily, they'd avoid second barrages.
His estimation proved incorrect. Once he managed rallying his men, the second volley already screamed toward them. Amid wails and shrieks, his force dissolved into fleeing rabble. Fang Yuanwu himself couldn't maintain position longer and was swept away amid the rout.
"National Army Wuzhou Squadron, advance. Complete annihilation."
The Wuzhou Squadron maneuvered swiftly, soon eliminating Fang Yuanwu's two hundred men entirely. Apart from Fang Yuanwu himself, who escaped alongside several trusted companions exploiting terrain knowledge, virtually none slipped through.
Observing this from Yanxi Mountain, Li Sanjiu's spirits collapsed. Two hundred men—obliterated within moments. Confronting such overwhelming disparity, Li Sanjiu suddenly awakened from delusions. Becoming tribal chieftain proved utterly impossible now; plundering Lianzhou was beyond question; demanding city ransom no longer concerned him. Presently, survival proved paramount—escape remained impossible by daylight; he could merely hold until nightfall, then break through vanishing into mountains. Allow Australians to attempt hunting them there.
He shouted for everyone to "hold positions" when shells arced toward the hilltop.
Though 12-pounder mountain howitzers possessed limited range, their high elevation angles permitted lobbing shells onto Yanxi Mountain. Within moments, the encampment became engulfed in smoke and thunder. The already-rattled Yao force dissolved into chaos.
"Everyone, maintain calm!" Li Sanjiu bellowed while leading bodyguards toward the stockade gate—the chokepoint controlling mountain approaches and the route Hair-Clippers would inevitably traverse. They'd concentrate main strength there.
Indeed, upon reaching the gate, they collided directly with Li-Miao Company soldiers. Li Sanjiu roared, brandishing his broadsword charging at the fore. Yet the Li-Miao Company wielded double-barreled shotguns. Buckshot hails swept over them, and Li Sanjiu's bodyguards fell nearly entirely. Li Sanjiu himself sustained wounds, barely dragged to safety by remaining guards. The Yao encampment on Yanxi Mountain suddenly became leaderless.
Amid chaos, the Fubo Army's main strength surged upslope, systematically clearing each position. Encampments fragmented; individual pai and chong fled separately. Yet ambushes awaited every descent—musketry volleys followed by flanking bayonet charges routed each fleeing group within moments.
By nine morning, the Yao force on Yanxi Mountain had ceased existing. Only several hundred survivors huddled within the "Old Camp" where grain was stored—terrain there proved so rugged the Fubo Army couldn't storm it immediately. Yet they stood completely surrounded; their fall constituted merely a temporal matter.
Despite wounds, Li Sanjiu wasn't seriously injured. Yet all thoughts regarding becoming "tribal chieftain" had vanished—his sole concern now involved escape methodology. Should he reach mountains, neither Ming forces nor Australians could touch him.
While mulling this, a messenger approached. "Pan Tianshun of Yonghua has arrived."
Li Sanjiu knew Pan Tianshun. The old man climbing the mountain now meant one thing: he'd come persuading surrender.
"What business brings you here!" Li Sanjiu glared at Pan Tianshun, aching to behead the old man dismembering him for venting fury—yet in his current circumstances, that would prove suicidal. He could merely swallow rage.
Pan Tianshun felt terrified—Li Sanjiu constituted no gentle soul! Moreover, he alongside Yonghua elders had sworn blood oaths with this man. Should Li Sanjiu fly into rage killing him, none would declare him wrong. Yet his entire village now rested in Australian hands; when they ordered him ascending the mountain for negotiations, he dared not refuse.
Pan Tianshun managed conveying Yang Zeng's terms: immediate surrender and submitting to judgment. Provided they surrendered promptly, lives would be guaranteed; following combat's conclusion, each would be permitted returning to his own pai, encountering no further obstruction.
"Should we refuse?" Li Sanjiu asked.
"Should... should you refuse..." Pan Tianshun glanced furtively toward surrounding headmen and tianchang gong. "The Australians shall set the mountain ablaze... leaving none alive... slaughtering everyone..."
At these declarations, various pai and chong leaders commenced murmuring amongst themselves. Before the Fubo Army's assault, some had still nursed hopes regarding breaking through to mountains and regrouping—yet following combat's chaos, none harbored such illusions anymore.
Li Sanjiu didn't wish surrendering—once accomplished, their lives would rest in enemy hands. Whenever government troops arrived "pacifying" Yao populations, they invariably claimed to "pardon followers"—yet practically the killing proved brutal. Not merely headmen but ordinary Yao frequently suffered slaughter. As the ringleader, his death proved certain.
He desired resisting, discovering some breakout methodology. Should they reach mountains, neither Ming troops nor Australians could touch them. Yet he commanded a coalition, and even his own pai's warriors might not obey him presently. The solely reliable men constituted his dozen-odd diehards—half had just been killed or wounded.
Observing leaders and headmen eyeing him with increasingly hostile expressions, Li Sanjiu felt chills. Were they planning offering him as scapegoat? Should they bind him delivering him over, he was finished!
As fear gnawed at him, Majian Pai's tianchang gong sidled close whispering: "Surrender. Should we refuse, the Eight Pai's able-bodied men shall all perish on this mountain. Even should Australians refrain from striking, the Han villages below shall eliminate every pai."
In ordinary times, Li Sanjiu—effectively Majian Pai's master—wouldn't have granted this man second consideration. Yet now he possessed no choice but bowing. While life remains, hope exists. Surrender first, formulate plans subsequently.
Pan Tianshun brought back victory news. The Eight Pai Yao proved willing surrendering; Lianzhou's siege was lifted.
Between surrendered individuals and battle-captured prisoners, over one thousand Yao warriors became imprisoned. Excluding the several hundred who'd fled, the force was virtually annihilated. Because the Eight Pai had committed nearly all able-bodied men to this campaign, their headmen and elders had mostly arrived at Lianzhou as well. Their casualties ran heavy too—minimally a third had perished or sustained wounds during fighting.
"Treat wounded and bury dead," Huang Chao ordered. "Issue road passes to prisoners permitting homeward return. The pai and chong headmen shall be held as hostages—assign them to the Yangshan Provisional National Army Platoon for custody."
Road passes proved necessary because returning to the Eight Pai required passing through Luming Pass; without passes, they couldn't traverse.
"Proves it wise releasing them all?" Fu Debang inquired worriedly. "Won't they simply rebel again?"
Zhou Liangchen hurried over offering counsel: seize this opportunity slaughtering all prisoners—solve the Eight Pai Yao problem definitively.
"The Eight Pai have suffered tremendous losses—over six hundred warriors killed in action alone. That constitutes no trivial number," stated Huang Chao. "The entire Eight Pai probably command no more than five thousand adult males."
(End of Chapter)