latelenovela Chapter 48 Government Encirclement and Suppression
Chapter 48 Government Encirclement and Suppression
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After Gou Ergui fled to the prefectural city, he went directly to the prefectural government office to file a complaint, but was turned away. As a lowly clerk who had left in a hurry and had not taken much money with him, he could not even enter the gate of the prefectural government office.
He accused the local militia of colluding with bandits to harm the local gentry, but the prefectural government had not received any official notification from the Lingao county government. From the prefect down to the officials, everyone was thinking it was better to avoid trouble and ignored him. Gou Ergui had no relatives in the prefectural city to rely on, and only had a few taels of loose silver on him. He dared not return to Lingao, and after many days, he was not even able to get enough to eat. His clothes were dirty and tattered, and he looked like a beggar.
Just when he was about to despair, the prefect finally sent someone to find him and asked him to go to the yamen to report the relevant matters.
The prefect only remembered Gou Ergui after receiving a report from his subordinates that Liu Ye was abusing his power. Gou Ergui had repeatedly come to complain but was turned away each time. However, his story still reached the prefect's ears. Since both matters involved Liu Ye, the prefect summoned Gou Ergui in order to find out the truth.
The prefect asked the officials and staff present, "What do you all think?"
Tongzhi Zhao Yue cupped his hands and said, "Prefect, I have heard of this bandit leader, Lin San. He is the most skilled warrior in Chengmai County. According to what the two men said, I believe that after Lin San failed to attack Chengmai County, he colluded with Liu Ye's local militia in Lingao, persecuting local gentry and becoming a major threat to Qiongzhou Prefecture!"
"What does Magistrate Zhao think should be done about this matter?"
"To save face for the imperial court and to stabilize the situation in Qiongzhou Prefecture, we have no choice but to send a large army to annihilate them!"
The prefect stroked his beard and asked the crowd, "What do you all think?"
Officials of all ranks and their staff responded in unison, “What Magistrate Zhao said is very true. We request that the Prefect send troops.”
The prefect nodded; he thought the same thing. Having accepted bribes from Liu Ye, he couldn't escape the charges now, so he might as well go all the way and send troops to kill Liu Ye.
After some discussion, the officials present suggested that the prefectural garrison troops should be the main force to suppress the bandits. It didn't matter that their fighting strength was low; if one garrison was not enough, then two would be used, and if two were not enough, then three would be used. The bandits and their men numbered only a little over a thousand; if several thousand men pushed them over, they would be crushed to death.
Once everything was agreed upon, the war machine of Qiongzhou Prefecture began to creak and groan.
Liu Ye had received advance notice that the prefect had only brought three thousand men, and they were just those rotten old soldiers from the garrison. He couldn't help but smile to himself.
Liu Ye let out a long breath: "Therefore, I have decided to abandon the defensive plan, take the initiative to attack, defeat the main force of the government army in the shortest possible time, and seize the initiative!"
Everyone was stunned. The previous plan was to wait for the government troops to launch an offensive, using their superior firearms to cripple the enemy's manpower. Once casualties reached a certain level, the government troops would naturally collapse. However, launching an offensive is completely different from defending. It would mean giving up most of the advantage of firearms, ultimately turning into a close-quarters melee. With the government troops having a numerical advantage, the outcome of the battle was unpredictable.
Despite the unexpected turn of events, no one questioned Liu Ye's decision; instead, they carried it out without question. The battle plan was very simple: first, several rounds of artillery bombardment would be launched against the government troops' formation; then, three hundred veteran soldiers would advance to a distance of seventy paces from the government troops and fire a volley; finally, a collective bayonet charge would be launched, engaging the enemy in direct hand-to-hand combat.
The guard's bayonet training was a fundamental subject. Regardless of whether they were equipped with rifles, they received sufficient intensity of training, rain or shine. Numerous live-fire drills were conducted within the guard unit, proving that well-trained bayonet tactics had an overwhelming advantage against disorganized soldiers who relied solely on brute force.
However, aside from the battle against the bandits, the guards still lack practical experience in bayonet fighting, especially the several hundred newly recruited soldiers. Liu Ye wasn't confident that they could defeat a government force several times their size in hand-to-hand combat.
Liang Xiaoming was right; no one can guarantee absolute certainty in everything. Liu Ye had no time to hesitate; he gave the order to attack. Just in case, he left Lin San, the strongest in hand-to-hand combat, with a hundred soldiers as a reserve force, handing over frontline command to Lin San.
The purpose of this arrangement was that, in case the battle situation became extremely unfavorable, Lin San's presence would at least ensure their escape. As long as he and Liang Xiaoming were alive, even if they lost everything they currently possessed, they would still have a chance to make a comeback.
After the battle deployment was completed, Liu Ye stopped worrying. He watched Shi Ying lead the soldiers and gunners into their battle positions, feeling a little uneasy, like a student waiting for the results of an exam. He hadn't felt this way since graduation. Today's situation was a major test in his life after transmigrating, and whether he could survive depended on this battle.
The opposing government troops were arrayed.
The prefect was not unaware that the distance between himself and the rioters was unsafe—within the range of their cannons—but he couldn't simply hide several miles away for fear of being hit by cannon fire; what would that say about the face of the imperial court? However, he was comforted by the fact that there were enough government troops.
Even so, when he saw several more cannons being pulled up on the opposite hillside, their dark muzzles pointing in his direction, he still felt a chill.
He swallowed hard, trying to remain calm, and instructed his men, "Pass on my order: if the rioters open fire, no one is allowed to flee; everyone must maintain formation."
The battle began with artillery fire.
"Boom boom boom!" The 12-pound mountain howitzers that had caused the government troops so much suffering spewed out flames that symbolized death again. The two sides were about 800 paces apart, which was the limit of the range of this kind of artillery. However, the difference in altitude between the two sides extended the range. Solid shot whistled and pierced into the crowd.
Cold weapon troops typically stand in very close formations to effectively attack the enemy and ensure sufficient casualties, but such formations are a fatal flaw when facing firearms.
The cannonballs that landed in the crowd seemed to have exhausted their force, only knocking down one or two soldiers at the very front before hitting the ground. However, they bounced back up after hitting the hard ground. At this point, the cannonballs seemed like they could be caught with one's hands, but no matter how the soldiers instinctively raised their arms to block them or tried to stop them with their swords, the solid iron ball still broke their arms and bent their swords without any resistance. People and objects in front of it were like tofu meeting a steel blade, unable to stop its momentum in the slightest.
The shelling lasted for four rounds. Each round did not cause many direct casualties, but it created widespread panic among the government troops.
A disciplined and determined unit might be able to withstand multiple artillery bombardments, but this government-controlled army clearly lacked the capability and quality. Standing there, being bombarded by artillery without any chance to retaliate, not knowing if their turn would come next—this unknown threat of death was far more terrifying than face-to-face combat. Slowly, some began to slip away from the ranks, only to be cut down by their personal guards positioned at the rear.