xymnovel Chapter 140 Both Sides' Schemes
Chapter 140 Both Sides' Schemes
Chapter 140 Both Sides' Schemes
Senggelinqin never intended to attack Tianjin directly.
The Tianjin city wall is 24 feet high, and its base is 32 feet thick. It is made of blue bricks filled with mortar, making it as solid as a rock. It is a tough nut to crack.
Furthermore, the rebels also possess powerful cannons and artillery, which they can set up behind the battlements to attack from a high position. If they rashly attack the city, the casualties will be extremely heavy.
Now that the Eight Banners and Green Standard Army are no longer of any use, and the Han Chinese militias in the south cannot be trusted, the Mongol cavalry under his command are the last elite force of the Qing Dynasty.
This meager fortune must not be carelessly poured into the bottomless pit beneath Tianjin.
As he was staring intently at the map, a guard who was standing at the door lifted the curtain and entered, kneeling on one knee to report: "Your Highness, General Shi Rongchun of Daming Town in Zhili has arrived at Yang Village and is waiting for Your Highness to summon him outside the yamen."
"Oh?"
Senggelinqin looked up and said, "Summon him in."
The guard went out to deliver the message, and soon a burly man clad in a dark blue cloth armor with a python pattern strode into the study. He knelt on one knee before Senggelinqin and said, "Shi Rongchun, a subordinate of the Prince, greets Your Highness! I am deeply grateful for Your Highness's favor and recommendation, and I will repay this kindness with my life!"
Senggelinqin was satisfied. He raised his hand to signal Shi Rongchun to stand up and said with a smile, "Rongchun, the reason you were able to become the general of Daming Town is because of your sufficient military achievements."
As the saying goes, "To forge iron, one must be strong oneself." If your military achievements are insufficient to command respect, even if I wanted to give you a push, it would be difficult to succeed.
Shi Rongchun looked apprehensive and quickly said, "Your Highness is too kind. I am ashamed. Without Your Highness's coordination and the guarantee of sufficient provisions, even if I were made of iron, how many nails could I have hammered? The battle of Fengguantun was entirely due to Your Highness's strategic planning. We were merely serving as dogs and horses, and we dare not take credit for it."
Senggelinqin's smile grew even wider. After all, everyone hopes that the person they recommend is grateful, especially one who speaks so kindly.
He smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, let's skip the formalities. How many troops did you bring this time?"
Shi Rongchun straightened his back and answered crisply, "Your Highness, five hundred cavalry and one thousand infantry are ready and at Your Highness's command at any time."
"good!"
Senggelinqin nodded, pointed to the map spread out on the table, and beckoned, "Come and take a look."
Shi Rongchun stepped forward, walked to the table, and looked down. Senggelinqin's finger pressed on the map, starting from Tianjin, slowly tracing across Beicang, and then pointing southeast to Dagukou.
"Now the traitor Danianna has occupied three places: Tianjin City, Beicang, and Dagu Fort, which are mutually supportive and connected from head to tail."
"My initial plan is as follows: to take advantage of the mobility of the cavalry and harass the grain route from Beicang to Tianjin City day and night, cutting off its supply."
The infantry completed the encirclement of Tianjin from the north, west, and south, following the same tactics used at Lianzhen, digging long trenches and building earthen walls to starve them out.
He paused, his voice suddenly turning cold.
"Another option is to take advantage of the refugees who fled outside the city after the Yellow River breached its banks. Drive them to attack the city and deplete the rebels' ammunition and supplies inside."
"Didn't they want to distribute porridge and provide relief? Didn't they want to win people's hearts? Then let them do the relief, let them take it. I want to see how long their food supplies can last!"
Shi Rongchun felt a chill run down his spine, but dared not show the slightest change in expression. He simply nodded heavily.
Senggelinqin continued, "At the same time, I plan to send another elite force eastward to recapture the Dagu Forts, secure the sea route for grain transported to the Haihe River, and cut off the rebels' possible retreat and sea support."
Before he could finish speaking, Shi Rongchun immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute and said in a loud voice, "Your Highness, I am willing to lead my troops to recapture Dagu Port and cut off the rebels' retreat for Your Highness!"
"good!"
Senggelinqin had been waiting for these words, and said, "I will give you another five hundred elite soldiers, bringing your total to two thousand men. You have half a month to capture Dagu Fortress!"
"Yes, sir!"
In the early morning, before the sky was fully bright, a milky white mist hung thickly over both banks of the canal.
Senggelinqin's military orders had already spread to all camps yesterday. After feeding their horses fodder and water early in the morning, the Mongol cavalrymen, with strong bows hanging from their waists and quivers full, stepped out of the camp gates led by Zuo Ling Bayar.
With the sound of horses' hooves, 120 cavalrymen advanced southward along the east bank of the North Canal.
After traveling for about half an hour, the fog gradually thinned, and countless figures began to appear faintly on the official road ahead.
"alert!"
Bayar slowed his horse and raised his right fist. The cavalrymen all slowed down as well, while several scouts left the ranks and approached the group of figures to conduct reconnaissance.
It was a dark mass, moving south along both sides of the official road, numbering in the hundreds. They were carrying their families and bundles, their bodies so thin that a gust of wind could blow them over.
Several scouts quickly returned and reported: "Sir, they are disaster victims, not rebel troops transporting grain."
Bayar narrowed his eyes and slowly said, "Judging from their direction, they're heading to Tianjin. Going to Tianjin means they're accomplices of the traitors!"
He took down the hard bow and drew an arrow from the quiver.
Among the refugees, an old man at the very back was the first to hear the sound of horses' hooves. He turned around and saw the cavalrymen gradually come into focus, their movements of drawing their bows and nocking arrows becoming extremely clear.
The old man opened his mouth, and with all his remaining strength, he let out his last shout: "It's government troops! Run!"
call out!call out!call out!
Arrows rained down, and the last few dozen men fell simultaneously, the arrowheads piercing their thin clothes and flesh with a dull thud.
Screams erupted.
The refugee group of hundreds of people instantly collapsed.
Those at the front sprinted forward with all their might, those near the canal jumped into the river with a splash, and those in the middle could only scatter and flee into the surrounding withered fields.
One hundred and twenty riders lined up in a horizontal row, forming an impregnable wall, and slowly rolled along the official road.
Bayar grinned, watching the scene unfold before him with excitement. Without pausing, he reached into his quiver again, drew a second arrow, and nocked it.
The second volley of arrows fell, and thousands more fell into pools of blood.
A woman holding a baby was shot through the back. She staggered a couple of steps, her knees buckled, and she collapsed to her knees, her body instinctively arching as she tightly shielded the baby in her arms against her chest.
A man was wailing and crying over his dead relative. Halfway through his tears, he suddenly stood up, his eyes red, and drew a woodcutter's knife from his waist. He roared and charged at the cavalry.
He had run less than ten steps when an arrow pierced his thigh. He staggered and fell to his knees, struggling to get up, when a second arrow pierced his shoulder and a third arrow sank into his chest.
The cavalrymen laughed and shouted, as if playing a fun game, toying with him with arrows until he could no longer stand up.
Bayar's eyes swept across both sides of the official road, catching a glimpse of a group of refugees fleeing westward into the wheat fields. He raised his chin and pointed in that direction.
Twenty riders broke away from the main group and charged into the wheat field.
The wheat had already been harvested, leaving only withered stubble in the fields. When horses trod on it, dust flew up, just like trodden on the official road.
The weak refugees could not possibly outrun the horses and were quickly overtaken by the cavalry. Spears pierced their bodies, and the cavalrymen flicked their wrists to pull out the spear tips, resulting in another cloud of blood.
The massacre on the official road lasted for fifteen minutes.
The cavalrymen dismounted and moved among the corpses, bending over to search for any valuables.
Someone pulled a few copper coins from the body's bosom and casually stuffed them into their waistband; someone else tore off a relatively intact cotton-padded coat, shook off the bloodstains, rolled it up, and draped it over the horse's back.
A cavalryman ran over to report: "Sir, after a rough count, there are about 170 or 180 corpses, and 300 or 400 people have escaped."
Bayar grunted in agreement and hung the bow back on the side of the saddle.
"Leave ten men to collect the usable arrows from the horses. The rest of you, follow me south."
The North Gate Tower of Tianjin City.
Tang He stood behind the battlements, holding a monocular telescope and looking north.
His gaze passed over the sprawling camp of refugees outside the city and landed on the official road further away.
On that official road, small groups of people were running towards Tianjin, stumbling and falling, some never to rise again.
"The Qing government is indeed slaughtering disaster victims at will; a leopard can't change its spots!" Tang He put down his binoculars, his expression grim.
"Should we open the city gates and let the refugees in?" the assassin beside me asked. "If they do this, our relief efforts outside the city will be greatly affected."
Tang He thought for a moment, then shook his head: "So many disaster victims, if they are released outside the city, can be used for work relief to dredge the Haihe River. What can they do if they are released into the city? They will only make the city's security chaotic and give those who are loyal to the Qing government an opportunity to take advantage of the situation."
"We can't just stand by and watch our compatriots be slaughtered, can we?"
The assassin retorted angrily, "Tang, if you don't dare, then hand over command, and I'll lead my men out and slaughter those bastards!"
"Fuck you, I wouldn't dare! I'm just thinking about a plan!"
Tang He rolled his eyes and said, "Besides, how are you going to kill them? They're facing cavalry, and you only have two legs. If they're focused on harassing you and don't keep you at a distance, there's nothing you can do about it."
"I'll contact San Francisco and request that they send a few more cavalry companies."
San Francisco, night.
The torrential rain fell, pattering against the roof.
Zeng Tai instructed the white maid to open the window a crack, letting the cold wind and moisture from outside blow in and dispel the stuffy heat inside.
He lay in bed, gesturing for his fair-skinned, beautiful, long-legged maid to lie beside him. Just as he was about to do something beneficial for his physical and mental health, Guilliman's contact request popped up at that opportune moment.
Zeng Tai's face darkened slightly.
"I'm furious right now, you better have something serious to say."
"We've requested to send 500 cavalrymen over from Tianjin. Senggelinqin's cavalry are massacring refugees outside the city. We need to use cavalry to counter cavalry," Guilliman said quickly.
"A bunch of beasts!"
Upon hearing this, Zeng Tai's expression immediately darkened. "Just fighting the cavalry isn't enough. I'll send an additional two thousand infantry over and tell Tang He to march straight to Yangcun and take down Senggelinqin's central command tent!"
"I want to see those bastards' heads chopped off and piled up into a mound of skulls!"
Inside Tianjin city, on the drill ground of the left wing of the town.
A visible distortion appeared in the air, and ripples spread outwards.
Rows of neatly arranged people quickly appeared on the training ground, transforming from nothing to something, from illusion to reality.
The warhorses shook their heads and snorted. The riders held the reins, dressed in uniform dark gray cotton military uniforms with leather armor over them. A carbine version of the Pacific Type 1 rifle hung on the left side of the saddle, while a narrow saber was slung diagonally on the right.
"I am Li Wenzhong, the commander of the 1st Cavalry Regiment of Xinghan Hall."
The lead rider dismounted and strode up to Tang He: "My five hundred cavalrymen are ready. Please tell me the approximate location of the enemy."
Tang He didn't waste any time. He pulled out a folded map of Tianjin from his waist and threw it directly into his hand, saying, "The general location is in the north of the city, in the area from Beicang to Tianjin City."
Li Wenzhong unfolded the map, glanced at it, folded it up, and stuffed it into his pocket.
"clear."
Without another word, he turned and mounted his horse with swift, decisive movements. He flicked the reins and led five hundred riders, arranged in several columns, slowly toward the north of the city.
A corner of the north city gate opened, the sound drawing the heads of refugees in the distant shacks. Some of the bolder ones were about to run into the city when they saw hundreds of cavalry pouring out, a massive, imposing force.
People quickly shrank back, not daring to breathe.
Only a few curious children squatted by the shack, watching with bated breath as this cavalry force they had never seen before passed by.
"The city gates aren't closed, can we go in now?"
As the sound of the cavalry's hooves faded into the distance, someone suddenly said this.
The disaster victims in the shacks were silent for a moment, then, as if ignited by these words, they became excited.
Although there was daily relief outside the city, who wouldn't want to go into the city if they could? At least there were houses and walls in the city, providing shelter from the wind and rain, and maybe with a bit of luck they could find a place to stay.
But before the refugees could set off, more soldiers emerged from the city gates.
They stood in neat rows of ten, three feet apart. Each soldier carried a marching pack and held a rifle with bayonets fixed. No one spoke, no one looked around; everyone marched forward in silence at a trot.
After they had gone some distance, one of the disaster victims shrank back into his shack and muttered to himself, "Big cities are big cities after all—I've never seen soldiers in such orderly formation back in my hometown."
An elderly disaster victim nearby wasn't as carefree. He stared at the backs of the soldiers' heads for a long time, then suddenly his face changed drastically, and his voice trembled: "Disaster! Disaster!"
The people around him were startled and quickly asked what was wrong.
The old man's lips trembled as he pointed in the direction the procession had gone, his voice shaking as he said, "They don't have queues at the back of their heads, they're thieves! This morning the imperial army came from the north, they must be here to punish them!"
Upon hearing this, the surrounding disaster victims immediately panicked and started chattering away.
"What should we do?"
"Should we continue fleeing north?"
"Are you crazy? The imperial troops came from the north. If they go that way, they'll definitely be killed!"
"Where can we go? Going north is certain death, going back is also certain death!"
"Why not head south—"
A slightly younger man suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but everyone around him immediately fell silent and turned to look at him.
He licked his chapped lips, swallowed, and said, "Didn't they say there's porridge being distributed in the south? And you can even take a boat to the border region. Going there is better than waiting to die here, isn't it?"