The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 234 Beach Landing and the Generals' Reactions

The floodwaters that had raged for several days finally receded.

The turbid and surging waters of the Jialing River gradually returned to calm in the morning light after the rainstorm, leaving only the devastated riverbanks.

On the city wall, Zhang Ling leaned against the battlements, looking at the now-vanished coastal defenses outside the city, his heart sinking to the bottom.

He roared hoarsely at the guards behind him:
"go with!"

"Notify Vice General Wu to lead two thousand guards and three thousand laborers out of the city immediately!"

"At all costs, we must build the temporary coastal defenses before the enemy troops get close!"

"Tell him that even if it costs lives, you must keep the enemy soldiers out of the riverbank!"

Soon, the three city gates of Baoning Prefecture slowly opened.

Wu Shenghua led his guards and militiamen, carrying wooden stakes and sandbags, and rushed haphazardly towards the riverbank outside the city, beginning a race against the mud and time.

But since the coastal defenses had already been destroyed, how could Jiang Han possibly give the government troops another chance to rebuild them?
When Wu Shenghua led his men, wading through the deep and shallow water, they had just reached the riverbank.
He was horrified to discover that, without his knowledge, dozens of fishing boats of various sizes had appeared on the river, and were now cruising around.

Upon seeing the soldiers leaving the city to build fortifications, the fishing boats on the river immediately turned around and charged towards the shore like a group of sharks that had smelled blood.

The cabins of these fishing boats had already been removed.

In the cabin, several soldiers were crouching, bows drawn and arrows nocked, and holding muskets.

The dark muzzles of guns and the sharp arrows were already aimed at the officers and soldiers on the shore.

Meanwhile, the fishermen on the bow of the boat were wielding oars and chanting slogans, working together to bring the soldiers on board to the shore.

Wu Shenghua's generals and laborers, still carrying shovels and preparing to clear the silt, never expected that the bandits would have such a trick up their sleeves.

In an instant, the officers and soldiers were caught off guard by the sudden burst of fire on the river and fled in terror, howling in despair.

"What's going on?! Where did all these ships come from?!"

"All the fishing boats and cargo ships along the 30-mile stretch upstream and downstream have been sunk. Where did the bandits conjure up these ships from?!"

Wu Shenghua hid behind a section of broken wall, filled with shock and anger.

Of course, he didn't know that these boats were specially sent by Jiang Han, with Hong Ming and others, to be found dozens of miles upstream.

Larger cargo ships were only found within Jianzhou territory.

However, misfortune never comes singly. When Wu Shenghua looked up, he saw that the enemy soldiers had begun to build a pontoon bridge on the opposite bank of the river!

"Report! Traces of enemy soldiers have been spotted on the east bank, and they are building a pontoon bridge!"

"Report! A large number of bandits have been spotted on the north bank, and they are also building a pontoon bridge!"

Bad news comes one after another.

On the river from three directions around Baoning Prefecture, Jiang Han's army launched an offensive simultaneously.

Nearly 10,000 soldiers split into three groups, carrying pre-prepared planks and pontoons, and continuously laid them on the river surface.

Three enormous pontoon bridges, like three ferocious giant pythons, began to extend towards the opposite bank at an astonishing speed.

"Quickly! Go back and inform General Zhang that the enemy is about to cross the river! Ask him to send reinforcements immediately!"

"Laborers! Pile all the sandbags up to the shore, make it high! Do everything you can to stop the enemy soldiers from getting ashore!"

"Archers and musketeers, assemble! Take cover in the fortifications and repel the enemy!"

Wu Shenghua reacted extremely quickly.

Upon discovering the movements on the opposite bank, he immediately ordered his men to prepare to build temporary defensive fortifications on the muddy riverbank.

But before his soldiers could take two steps, a dozen small boats hurriedly sailed onto the river not far away.

The fishing boats, which were originally harmless, were transformed into crude warships, indiscriminately unleashing firepower on the Ming army on the shore.

Lead bullets and arrows rained down from all directions, making it impossible for the Ming soldiers on the riverbank to even lift their heads.

They were exposed to the long-range firepower of the "naval forces" with no cover, and fell down in droves with screams, without even having time to get close to the riverbank to set up fortifications.

As the pontoon bridge drew ever closer, the fortifications on the shore remained stalled, causing Wu Shenghua to become increasingly anxious, his eyes turning bloodshot.

He glanced at the high city walls behind him and suddenly roared:
"Men! Go to the city and inform Commander Guo to take down the tiger-squatting cannons and breech-loading cannons from the city walls!"

"Lower it down with a rope! Quickly!"

The bodyguard beside him was startled upon hearing this and quickly advised:

"General, that cannon is extremely difficult to disassemble."

"Besides, these are all ancient relics from many years ago. They probably won't last more than a few shots before they explode!"

Wu Shenghua kicked him away and roared:

"Even if it explodes, you have to get it down for me!"

"Otherwise, by the time the enemy soldiers build the pontoon bridge, it will be too late!"

"Go!"

Soon, an extremely chaotic scene unfolded on the city wall of Baoning Prefecture.

Dozens of soldiers used thick hemp ropes to suspend a heavy tiger-squatting cannon, chanting in unison as they slowly lowered this lump of iron from the city wall, which was more than two zhang high.

Meanwhile, the soldiers below the city wall were scrambling to build makeshift artillery positions on the muddy riverbank using sandbags and planks.

Before the artillerymen could set up their positions, several cannon shots suddenly rang out from the river not far away.

Three solid cannonballs, each weighing over six pounds, whistled as they were launched from the cargo ship and slammed heavily into the defending troops' artillery positions, kicking up a cloud of mud.

The sight filled everyone with dread.

"No, it's too close."

"The river is still too fast here, and the boat is bobbing up and down, making it difficult to aim."

On a cargo ship on the river, the artillery battalion commander held up his binoculars, looked at the landing point of the shell, and shook his head.

He then walked to the bow of the boat, looked at the seven or eight fishermen who were rowing with all their might, and asked:

"Fellow villager, do you have any ideas on how to make the cargo ship less swaying?"

"The ship's hull was bobbing up and down too much, making it difficult for the artillerymen to aim."

The leading fishermen exchanged glances and tentatively responded:
"Sir, how about we back up the boat a bit?"

"This is a shallow area where the current is fastest."

"Even if you anchor, you can't stop the boat from bobbing with the waves. Once you retreat to deeper water, it won't rock as much."

"I just don't know if your cannons are enough to reach it?"

The captain nodded. As long as it wasn't too far, within three or four hundred paces, the ship's medium-sized cannon could hit it.

So the cargo ship retreated a little further into the river, stopping just at the edge of the deep water, and dropped its anchor.

"Try raising the muzzle five inches first."

The lead artilleryman gestured for a while, and with his command, the Weiyuan cannon on the ship's deck roared loudly.

The shell traced a beautiful arc in the air, hitting the bullseye perfectly!

At this moment, the Ming army on the shore had finally managed to drag four or five tiger-squatting cannons onto the riverbank. Before they could even adjust their firing range, a six-pound solid iron ball had already appeared above their heads.

The shell landed precisely three feet in front of the artillery position.

The government troops' artillerymen were still gesturing the distance with their hands when they were instantly smashed into mincemeat by incoming shells.

The immense kinetic energy, carrying severed limbs, slammed heavily into the Tiger Crouching Cannon behind it, smashing the cannon barrel in two!

Several small boats on the river drew closer, their breech-loading cannons continuously blasting deadly projectiles.

The government troops' artillerymen dared not show their faces; they could only hide their entire bodies behind their cannons, trembling with fear.

"It's over."

Seeing this scene from not far away, Wu Shenghua felt a chill in his heart.

He couldn't understand why the imperial navy hadn't accomplished anything, but instead the rebels had brought in a group of civilian ships of various shapes and sizes and controlled the waters.

"Boom!"

With a dull thud, the pontoon bridge on the west side was the first to be laid on the riverbank.

Cao Er, who had been waiting at the bridgehead for a long time, suddenly slammed the visor onto his face and drew his sword:

"Brothers in the central army, follow me and charge!"

At a command, thousands of elite central army soldiers, clad in double armor, divided into three teams and stepped onto the still slightly swaying pontoon bridge one after another, rushing towards the opposite bank.

Seeing this, Wu Shenghua wanted to lead his men to rush over and stop the bandits.

But from the city wall behind them, came the urgent sound of the retreat signal.

"Retreat! Retreat back to the city!"

Zhang Ling, who was on the city wall, surveyed the entire situation. He knew that the enemy's landing was unstoppable. Helpless, he could only order his troops to retreat and defend the city while awaiting reinforcements.

Soon, the silt on the riverbank was cleared away.

More than a dozen heavy cannons slowly crossed the pontoon bridge and were transported to the riverbank.

"Prepare—release!"

At Dong Erzhu's command, more than a dozen heavy cannons roared simultaneously.

In an instant, the ground shook.

The rammed earth city wall trembled incessantly, and large chunks of the wall peeled away like rain.

The parapets and crenellations on the city walls were completely leveled.

The defenders wanted to retaliate, but the cannons on the city wall were old and in disrepair. They were blown to pieces before they could fire two shots, and instead, many of their own men were injured.

After several cannons were blown up, no one dared to step forward and light them again.

Left with no other choice, Zhang Ling could only temporarily lead his men down from the city wall to avoid the enemy's artillery fire.

He covered his ears and hid behind the city wall, shouting at his personal guards:

"Quickly! Send more teams to break out through the north gate!"

"Notify General Hou and General Qin that Baoning Prefecture is in imminent danger! Tell them to come to our aid immediately, no matter what!"

"If reinforcements do not arrive within ten days, we will have no choice but to die for our country!"

One after another, messengers filed out of the North Gate, rushing towards several key locations.

……

The news elicited drastically different reactions from various parties.

Qin Liangyu from eastern Sichuan did not hesitate at all after receiving Zhang Ling's plea for help.

She immediately ordered her White-Spear Soldiers to stop resting and continue their journey.

Although she only had three thousand White Spear Soldiers under her command, this female general still headed towards Baoning Prefecture without hesitation.

General Hou Liangzhu, on whom Zhang Ling had placed high hopes, was dawdling outside Jiangyou County, plotting his own scheme.

Several days earlier, Hou Liangzhu had received news from Baoning Prefecture.

However, instead of immediately returning to reinforce, he launched a fierce attack on Jiangyou County in the north.

He led 8,000 elite troops and swept through the surrounding fortifications of Jiangyou County with unstoppable momentum.

However, when Hou Liangzhu ordered the attack on the city, he encountered considerable trouble.

Although the number of enemy soldiers defending the city was small, each of them had a very strong will to resist.

Several times, his deputy generals had already climbed onto the city wall, only to be driven down by the enemy general himself.

After several days of attacks, Hou Liangzhu not only failed to make any progress, but also lost nearly a thousand men.

Having witnessed the ferocity of the bandits, Hou Liangzhu dared not order a full-scale attack, but he was even less willing to return to Baoning Prefecture.

According to news from the front lines, the number of rebel soldiers besieging Baoning Prefecture is as high as 30,000!

My small force is probably not even enough to satisfy the enemy's hunger.

So Hou Liangzhu had a sudden inspiration and began to dawdle around Jiangyou City.

The government troops launched offensives every day, just like a roll call at a government office.

They started making a ruckus at dawn; by dusk, they would sound the retreat, not lingering for even a quarter of an hour longer.

The cannons were aimed at the city, regardless of whether they could hit the city walls; the point was simply to fire and make a sound.

The archers and musketeers were even further apart, and they would simply fire a few arrows or fire a few shots into the air to complete their mission.

Meanwhile, Li Laowai, who lived in the city, was even more leisurely.

He even moved a grand chair and sat leisurely on the city tower, sipping safflower tea from the snowy region of Ando while watching the clumsy performance of the government troops outside the city.

Hu Yongsheng, one of his lieutenants, stepped forward and whispered:
"Boss, those bastards are at it again."

"Should we also send someone down to the city walls to hurl a few insults and help out?"

Li Laowai glanced at Hu Yongsheng and said irritably:
"What are you cursing about? Save your breath."

"You stay here and keep watch, I'm going back to catch up on some sleep."

"If there's anything unusual, remember to let me know immediately!"

And so, a perfectly coordinated siege battle unfolded for almost half a month at the foot of Jiangyou City.

Both sides, attacking and defending, shouted loudly and beat drums in unison every day, creating a grand spectacle.

But when the battle report was delivered to Hou Liangzhu's desk after a whole day, the numbers on it were both laughable and absurd.

The only one who got injured was a soldier who was responsible for running around waving flags. He twisted his ankle because he was working too hard.

To be honest, Hou Liangzhu felt that facing the main force of the bandits directly in Baoning Prefecture was a more reliable option than staying in Jiangyou City.

Anyway, Baoning Prefecture has a treacherous terrain, and with the veteran general Zhang Ling being very experienced, it should be no problem to hold it for two or three months.

Let Zhang Ling's troops first test their strength against the bandits, and fight them to the death.

Once the enemy's troops and ammunition are almost exhausted, he will lead his own troops eastward to clean up the mess.

When the time comes, won't all the credit for pacifying the bandits in northern Sichuan go to me alone?
There were reasons why Hou Liangzhu did this.

When he quelled the She-An Rebellion, the credit for his victory was stolen by those civil officials.

This also caused him to harbor resentment towards Governor-General Zhu Xieyuan, and the two submitted memorials to criticize each other.

This time, Hou Liangzhu learned his lesson and refused to lead the charge against the enemy's forces.

Although Hou Liangzhu had a brilliant plan, he forgot that he had a superior in Chengdu Prefecture.

Chengdu Prefecture, Governor's Office.

Zhu Xieyuan was so angry that he trembled upon hearing the messenger's plea for help from Baoning Prefecture!

"Well done, Hou Liangzhu!"

"How dare you try to play tricks on me!"

He slammed the teacup in front of him onto the ground with a loud bang.

"Baoning is in imminent danger, and Zhang Ling is fighting a bloody battle in the city!"

"But Hou Liangzhu, despite commanding the elite troops of Sichuan, has made no progress whatsoever at the gates of Jiangyou!"

"What is he trying to do?! Is he trying to raise a bandit to enhance his own power?!"

Zhu Xieyuan paced anxiously back and forth in the hall.

Once Baoning Prefecture falls, the rebels will be able to completely control the three ancient roads: Micang, Jinniu, and Lizhi.

At that time, it will be virtually impossible for the troops from the Hanzhong direction to enter Sichuan to suppress the bandits.

With their rear in northern Sichuan gone, the rebel troops could easily move south and threaten Chengdu Prefecture.

By then, it will be too late.

Therefore, no matter what, Baoning Prefecture must be brought under the control of the imperial court!

"Someone! Relay my military orders!"

Zhu Xieyuan roared angrily.
"Tell Hou Liangzhu to immediately abandon the siege of Jiangyou and rush to the aid of Baoning Prefecture!"

"If he dares to hesitate in battle again, I will immediately petition His Majesty to remove him from his post as general!"

"Go!"

After shouting a few times, Zhu Xieyuan's anger subsided slightly.

He slowly walked to the map, his gaze falling on the bandits' stronghold—Long'an Prefecture—his eyes cold.

"That stupid pig Hou Liangzhu, although the enemy has mobilized a large army, Jiangyou is the gateway to northern Sichuan. It's not so easy to take it down."

Zhu Xieyuan's finger moved slowly across the map, finally landing on Shiquan County, which was further west.

"Breaking through from here would be a good idea."

He then summoned his personal guards and issued another order:
"Go! Issue orders to Liu Hanru, the Governor of Sichuan, and Ding Yunxiang, the Lieutenant General!"

"Let them immediately lead three thousand elite troops, detour through Jiangyou, head north from Shiquan County, and strike deep into the enemy's territory, Pingwu County!"

"Remember, sweep away all bandits along the way and cut off their supply lines!"

"I will make those traitors taste what it's like to have their backyard on fire."

　I guess I'm getting old; a mere all-nighter has taken a toll on my energy.

　　In the past, I could go straight to class after pulling an all-nighter, but now I can only sit in front of the computer and stare blankly.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)