Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 7 Luo Linshan

After conquering the Dulaya Mine, Li Mingyuan did not go to see the mountains of supplies, but instead received Luo Linshan and others in the city wall.

During the siege just now, Luo Linshan led more than 500 miners to raid the Peruvian army from the inside, causing chaos in the Peruvian army and creating conditions for the Taiping Army to enter the city.

"Brother Luo, if you hadn't opened the city gate today, we wouldn't have been able to occupy the mine so easily."

"I don't deserve your praise, but I was once a member of the Taiping Army, so it's only natural for me to help my brother."

Luo Linshan led the Chinese workers to revolt because he could not stand the oppression of the Peruvian supervisors. He himself did not have much ambition, so he was very respectful to Li Mingyuan, who was the prince of the imperial court.

"Brother Luo has made great contributions to the Taiping Army. I have decided to appoint you as the commander of the Fourth Musketeer Battalion of the Taiping Army. Brother Luo, are you satisfied?"

Now the Taiping Army only has three musket battalions and one training battalion. Luo Linshan was given the position of battalion commander as soon as he joined the army. Li Mingyuan valued him very much.

There was a reason why Li Mingyuan gave Luo Linshan the position of battalion commander right away. On the one hand, he had made great contributions by leading his men to capture the gate, and it would be embarrassing if he were to be promoted to a lower position. On the other hand, Li Mingyuan appreciated him.

In history, after Luo Linshan started the uprising, he did not become ambitious, but actively rescued the Chinese workers around him. In the end, he took the initiative to sacrifice himself in order to give the remaining Chinese workers a way to survive.

Therefore, Li Mingyuan is very optimistic about a person who has no ambition but can fight.

"Please take back your order, my lord. I just took advantage of the situation to gain a small credit, but I don't dare to occupy a high position."

"Brother Luo, the army has its own rules. Since I appointed you as the battalion commander, I have considered it thoroughly, so you don't have to refuse."

"Brother Luo, I see that you look mighty and majestic, but why do you drag your feet like a woman? If the prince asks you to be the battalion commander, then you should take it. A real man should not be afraid of being an official."

Chen Guozhu yelled.

"Thank you, Your Highness, for thinking highly of Lao Luo. I will not let you down and lead the brothers well."

After Chen Guozhu's encouragement, Luo Linshan stopped refusing and spoke in a loud voice.

"Isn't that right? It's just a battalion of soldiers. When the army grows stronger, you might have to lead tens of thousands of troops. That's when your abilities will be tested."

"Sir, let alone an army of 10,000, even if there are more people, as long as you trust me, Old Chen, I will still dare to lead them."

"Boast, Lao Chen. Others may not know your ability, but I do. I admire you if you can count from one to a thousand, let alone ten thousand soldiers."

Chen Guozhu can only write his own name and can't write or recognize numbers, so Li Sandou said this.

"What's wrong with not being able to count? I, Old Chen, can still lead my brothers to victory." Chen Guozhu said without caring at all.

"Merits should be rewarded, but mistakes should also be punished. Wang Xiaoshan, step out." Li Mingyuan's tone gradually became heavier, and finally he shouted.

"Yes." Wang Xiaoshan strode out of the crowd.

"Wang Xiaoshan, because the reconnaissance company failed in its mission this time, the Taiping Army had to attack the enemy by force. You can accept the punishment."

"I will accept the punishment," Wang Xiaoshan replied, without any intention of exonerating himself.

"I have already understood the reasons for the failure of the operation. You were not aware of the enemy's secret sentries during the reconnaissance and were responsible for the major mistake. Considering that this is your first offense, I will remove you from your position as the reconnaissance company commander and punish you with 20 strokes of the cane. Do you have anything else to say to defend yourself?" "I have no words to say about the mistakes made on the battlefield. I am willing to accept the punishment."

"Someone, drag Wang Xiaoshan out and give him twenty lashes of the cane," Li Mingyuan shouted in a deep voice at the door. Immediately, two soldiers came in and carried Wang Xiaoshan out.

"Wait a minute." Li Sandou stopped them and the two soldiers stopped and looked at Li Mingyuan.

"Your Highness, we need people right now. If Wang Xiaoshan is beaten with 20 sticks, he won't be able to fight in the battlefield. I hope Your Highness will forgive him this time and give him a chance to make amends for his crime."

"Military law is ruthless. Does that mean we can't fight without him?" Li Mingyuan looked at Li Sandou majestically.

"Uncle Li, I appreciate your kindness. This time, the Taiping Army was put in danger because of the mistakes of the reconnaissance company. I feel very guilty. The prince did not kill me, so I am very lucky."

"Old Li, why are you confused about the Guan Jian issue? It's a good thing that the Crown Prince is fair in his military management. Think about how His Royal Highness the Prince was clear about rewards and punishments and had strict military management, which led to the Zhejiang Taiping Army's victory in every battle. What the Crown Prince is doing is the same as what the prince did back then. It's right. You should stop talking." Chen Guozhu said seriously.

"Prince, I was inconsiderate. I hope you can forgive me." Li Sandou regretted what he said. He had been a soldier for more than ten years. Strict military discipline was the most important thing in the army. However, what he said in the heat of the moment was wrong.

"Forget it, but Uncle Li, please don't do this next time," Li Mingyuan said. Wang Dashan and Wang Xiaoshan were raised by Li Sandou, so it is understandable that Li Sandou couldn't bear to see Wang Xiaoshan punished.

"There will definitely not be a next time."

Li Mingyuan gave the two soldiers a look, and they immediately escorted Wang Xiaoshan outside. Soon, the sound of "bang bang" of wooden boards hitting each other was heard.

In the army, beating with wooden boards is very serious. Most people would be beaten to death if they couldn't withstand thirty blows. Wang Xiaoshan is strong and it would take him ten days or half a month to recover after being beaten with twenty boards. He can't go to the battlefield for the next few days.

As a newly joined general, Luo Linshan did not say a word when he punished Wang Xiaoshan.

From the words of the Taiping Army veterans, it was learned that Wang Xiaoshan was Li Mingyuan's personal bodyguard and was trusted by Li Mingyuan. However, Li Mingyuan still insisted on punishing him, which made Luo Linshan look at him with a higher regard. Luo Linshan felt very motivated to follow such a leader who did not shield his close associates and treated all generals and soldiers equally.

"Now let's talk about the problems of this battle." After the soldiers outside finished their punishment, Li Mingyuan said, "This siege exposed many problems of our army. First of all, I reflect on myself. I did not expect the enemy to install cannons on the tower. Secondly, our soldiers still used old-fashioned combat methods when attacking the city. The battle formation was crowded, which gave the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of and caused unnecessary losses to our army. Thirdly, because there has been no training for several years, the soldiers' combat skills are generally rusty, and they did not play their due combat effectiveness in the battle."

Li Mingyuan paused after speaking, "What do you think of this battle? Tell us so we can make special improvements."

"Sir, I suggest that we form a special demolition team. Next time we encounter a fortified city, we can have the demolition soldiers dig tunnels under the city to place gunpowder, and then blow up the city wall."

"Uncle Li's suggestion is very good. This time we occupied the mine and seized a large amount of gunpowder, which can be used in the next siege." Li Mingyuan nodded approvingly.

The Taiping Army was good at placing gunpowder in a closed space and blasting it. Li Mingyuan had read many examples of the Taiping Army using gunpowder to blow up city walls, but Li Sandou's words reminded him of this.

"Brother Luo, do you have any good suggestions?" In the original history, Luo Linshan was able to lead the Chinese to fight alone for more than a year, so he must be a man of real ability, so Li Mingyuan asked him.

"Sir, the Taiping Army is quite powerful. I won't give any suggestions. I'll just share some of my own ideas." Luo Linshan stood up and saluted. "There are many Chinese workers in the Peruvian mines. Before we attack, we can send someone to notify them. With Chinese workers as internal support, we can save a lot of effort when attacking the city."

"Brother Luo's suggestion is very good. Dashan, select a group of smart and capable brothers from the training camp and let them lurk in the nearby mines now." Li Mingyuan ordered immediately.

"Yes." Wang Dashan saluted and walked out immediately.

(End of this chapter)