Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 276 Villagers vs. Allied Forces
After leaving Pinghai Town, Zhang Tian followed the head of his family back to the village.

Along the way, the patriarch didn't give him a good look.

The reason was simple. Zhang Guangzong even wanted to clean up the family for this junior who dared to wipe his urine-stained hands on himself.

After returning to the village, Zhang Guangzong ordered Zhang Tian to ring the bell to summon the clansmen, while he went straight to the ancestral hall.

He pushed open the door of the ancestral hall with his own hands and stepped inside.

As the bell rang outside the ancestral hall to summon the clan members, Zhang Guangzong walked up to the incense table and looked at the rows of tablets in front of him with a complicated look in his eyes.

Picking up three incense sticks and lighting them with the candles on the incense table, Zhang Guangzong respectfully burned incense to the ancestral tablet in front of him.

"The foreigners are invading, and the unfilial son Sun Guangzong needs to lead the clan members to fight against the invaders and defend our hometown."

"May our ancestors bless us!"

Looking at the wisps of green smoke rising from the incense burner in front of him, somehow, Zhang Guangzong's originally anxious heart quickly regained peace.

When he turned around, the elders of the clan came to the ancestral hall one after another.

Zhang Guangzong walked out of the ancestral hall.

"Move some chairs over. The elders are old and can't stand for long."

Several young men nearby heard this and responded immediately.

Soon, several chairs were brought in and the elders of the Zhang family sat down one after another.

Zhang Guangzong stood in front of the ancestral hall, looking into the distance.

The sky was still dark, and the cold moonlight covered the entire earth. The torches gathered into fire dragons and converged towards the direction of the ancestral hall.

Soon, a dense crowd of heads gathered outside the Zhang family's ancestral hall.

Young and strong men stood in the open space in twos and threes, whispering to each other, and occasionally looked towards the ancestral hall.

"The ancestral hall is a sacred place, no noise is allowed."

"Be quiet, don't disturb the ancestors."

As soon as Zhang Guangzong said this, the originally noisy crowd quickly returned to silence.

Seeing this, Zhang Guangzong cleared his throat, took a few steps forward and spoke.

"Just now I received news in town that some foreigners have landed on the beach near Shizilin."

"If nothing unexpected happens, these foreigners are coming for Pinghai Town."

As soon as these words came out, the crowd in front of him suddenly burst into noise.

"Is the ghost really coming?"

"What the court said is true. The ghosts really came."

"What should I do now?!"

"..."

Zhang Guangzong shouted for silence again, and waited until the crowd quieted down before continuing.

"I have discussed with the elders and gentry of each clan in the town. The foreigners are invading. All villages are in danger. In order to protect ourselves, we need to help each other and fight against the bandits together."

"Everyone, get ready. In addition to leaving enough people to guard the village, the rest of you should bring your swords, spears, and muskets and follow me to Pinghai Town."

"Oh, by the way, unleash two of the homemade cannons hidden in the tribe..."

"..."

Zhang Guangzong made arrangements quickly.

Not long after, he led his people out of the village and headed for Pinghai Town.

……

After Harrison and others gathered, they quickly moved inland and headed straight for Pinghai Town.

The reason why the target was so clear was that the coalition forces had a map in their hands, which detailed the specific locations of villages and towns along the coast of Huizhou Prefecture.

Of course, the reason why these foreigners were able to get the map was not because there were traitors on the Tang Dynasty side.

But it’s because of the Qing Dynasty!

When the Eight-Nation Alliance was resupplying in Fuzhou, they not only replenished their food and logistics, but also obtained a batch of maps of Guangdong's coastal prefectures from the Qing Dynasty.

Although I can't say it's absolutely accurate, it's okay to give a rough idea.

If the Eight-Nation Alliance had not obtained the map from the Qing Dynasty, it might not have dared to land and harass the Guangdong coast at will.

Accompanied by the sound of military drums and bagpipes, the landing Allied infantry marched non-stop.

Around nine o'clock in the morning, they finally arrived outside Pinghai Town.

The reason why it took so long was not because the Allied infantry marched slowly.

It was because of the Qing Dynasty's relocation of borders and ban on sea trade!
In order to deal with Zheng Ming, which had superior naval power, the Qing Dynasty implemented strict border evacuation and sea ban in the southeastern coastal areas.

People within a certain range along the coast were either relocated or massacred.

For a long time afterwards, a certain area along the coast was almost turned into a wasteland!

After occupying Guangdong, the Tang Dynasty abolished the Qing Dynasty's policy of relocating the border and banning sea trade, but the period was still short.

It is impossible that Pinghai Town was moved directly to the seaside in the blink of an eye once the boundary relocation and sea ban were lifted.

Therefore, although Pinghai Town is located on the coast, it is still some distance away from the real seaside.

In addition, the coalition forces only had a map but no guide, and were not familiar with the roads, so they took the wrong turn several times.

Therefore, it took the Allied infantry a long time to reach Pinghai Town after landing.

Captain Louis raised the telescope in his hand, glanced at Pinghai Town not far away, and said with his eyes slightly narrowed.

"Boys, do you see the village ahead?"

"That is a gift from God. Let us conquer it and then enjoy our spoils!"

After saying this, Louis waved his hand and ordered his soldiers to charge towards Pinghai Town.

Accompanied by bursts of dense drum beats, this infantry regiment from British India roared and charged towards Pinghai Town.

"Kill!"

"For God's sake!"

"Burn them all, kill them all, loot them all!"

"..." However, when these coalition soldiers had only rushed halfway, they heard several artillery fire from the direction of Pinghai Town.

The villagers of Pinghai Town pulled out several homemade cannons and hid them in several buildings at the entrance of the town.

When the foreigners approached, they lit fire and set off cannons.

The fuse burned out, and after a few cannon shots, the air was filled with smoke and flying shells.

Unfortunately, since these cannons were rarely used, the gunners were too unfamiliar with them and their firing was not very accurate.

Several cannons fired at the same time, but only one shell hit the target and killed only one person.

The rest of the shells all missed the target!
However, after the stone shell fell to the ground, the flying fragments injured several people.

But even so, the charging Allied infantry were startled by the sudden sound of artillery fire, and the speed of the charge slowed down significantly.

Some people even looked back subconsciously, as if seeking the advice of their superiors.

Seeing this, Louis couldn’t help but feel dizzy.

"These stupid Indians are such a bunch of rubbish."

"The enemy is just a group of civilians who just put down their hoes. There is nothing to be afraid of."

"Let our artillery fire to provide cover while the infantry continues the attack!"

As Louis' military order was issued, the coalition forces, which had originally stopped due to fear, continued to rush forward.

In the buildings of the town, the villagers held up their muskets, ready to shoot if the enemy came closer.

Zhang Guangzong moved among the crowd, cheering on the tribesmen around him as he walked.

"My sons, the foreigners are coming. Our fields, our houses, our wives and children, our ancestral graves and temples are all behind us."

"The town has requested assistance from the court, and reinforcements will arrive soon."

"Everyone must hold on. For the sake of your wives, children, and ancestors, you must hold on until the imperial reinforcements arrive!"

On the other side, Mr. Zhao was also cheering up his own clansmen.

"Damn it, everybody listen up."

"The foreigners are invading, and the imperial court is offering a bounty for their heads. One foreigner's head can be exchanged for 100 silver dollars. Ten foreigner's heads can exempt agricultural taxes for one year. One hundred heads can exempt them for ten years."

"Besides that, Master, I will also offer a reward."

"Whoever can chop off a foreigner's head, in addition to the reward from the court, I will give you another fifty silver dollars..."

"Come on, everyone! There's lots of silver dollars out there."

"If the foreigners dare to come up, I will kill them ruthlessly!"

Upon hearing this, the villagers couldn't help but get excited and cheered.

……

The allied infantry quickly advanced to the outside of Pinghai Town.

The lobster soldiers in red uniforms advanced forward in an orderly manner. Seeing the enemy's neat formation and powerful military force, many villagers couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

When they usually engage in armed fights, they usually rush forward in groups. It is true that they are brave and fierce, but have they ever seen such an elite force in such an orderly formation?

boom! Boom boom!

The gunfire sounded again.

However, this time it was not the villagers of Pinghai Town who opened fire.

But it was the artillery of the Eight-Nation Alliance that landed!
When the coalition forces landed on the coast, they also transported several artillery pieces ashore, which now came in handy.

Several artillery shells whizzed through the air and accurately hit a building in Pinghai Town where smoke had just risen.

After a loud crackling sound, the building collapsed rapidly.

The villagers hiding inside were hit by the falling bricks, stones and tiles, and some were even buried alive.

boom! Boom boom!

The artillery in several other buildings also opened fire in return.

Several irregular stone shells were fired, but they failed to hit the target.

The impact point was nearly a hundred meters away from the coalition artillery position.

The homemade cannons used by the villagers were difficult to compare with the coalition artillery in terms of range and accuracy.

The coalition forces' artillery fired several rounds in succession, and in the blink of an eye, almost all the artillery wielded by the villagers in Pinghai Town were destroyed.

In the town, wailing sounds continued to be heard.

At the same time, the coalition infantry was lined up in neat formations and gradually advanced.

Looking at the aggressive lobster soldiers outside the town, Zhang Tian's hand holding the gun couldn't help but tremble. Without waiting for the order from his family leader, he couldn't help but pull the trigger.

The next moment, gunshots rang out, and the villagers hiding in the town began to fire sporadically one after another.

Snapped! Bang bang!

The crisp sound of gunfire continued to ring out.

Waves of smoke filled the air.

At this time, the distance between the two sides was beyond the range of the musket, and the villagers did not fire in unison.

Therefore, the Allied infantry outside the town were hardly affected.

Still marching forward in formation!

Seeing this scene, the villagers couldn't help but panic.

"Damn it, why can't these ghosts be killed?"

"Who fired the gun? Which punk shot the gun? The ghost is still far away. How can someone be killed by shooting at this time?"

"Load! Quickly load the shotgun! The ghosts are coming up soon, move faster!"

"..."

……

PS: There is still one chapter to be coded, but it will be later.

(End of this chapter)