Chapter 1118: Defenses Must Be Strengthened
Mi Chuang Jiang stood on a high vantage point, watching the government troops enter the Micang Mountains, and immediately felt a sense of foreboding.
These soldiers instantly split into more than a dozen routes, each exceeding two thousand men. They swept through the Micang Mountains like a carpet, scouring every slope, gully, valley, and forest.
One subordinate cried out in terror, "Oh, hell, this is truly terrible!"
Another bellowed, "Boss, we can't just sit here waiting for them to encircle us. We should set up defenses, roll rocks down from the mountainsides and crush them!"
"Yes, yes, we can also ambush them with archers."
Mi Chuang Jiang commanded, "Good, go and do it quickly."
Only then did the rebels remember to hastily arrange defensive positions, but these improvised arrangements, not being pre-prepared strongholds, offered little combat effectiveness.
A group of bandits occupied a prime rockfall point, yet they had no sufficient supply of rocks on hand. They quickly scattered to search for suitable large stones in the vicinity.
But their movement made them an easy target.
Thus, the Gao Family Village militia soldiers assigned to scout that path, still approaching the slope and not yet in position for an ambush, were suddenly halted by a man who caught up to them, shouting, "Stop! There's an ambush ahead. If you go another twenty meters, rocks will come crashing down from the mountain."
The militia soldiers immediately stopped, looking up at the mountain.
The officer among them, equipped with binoculars, quickly located the rebel rockfall squad positioned on the slope.
"There!"
"That spot! There's a squad of rebels, with a small pile of rocks, waiting to drop them on us."
"Damn it, those annoying bastards."
"Our flintlock rifles can't reach that far."
"What about the small grenade mortars? Get the small grenade mortars over here!"
The artillery detachment immediately scrambled over, setting up a compact cannon about as thick as an arm. They adjusted the angle, elevation, and other data, then fired at the slope with a resounding "boom!"
The militiamen from the steel factory watched from the side, learning, "Wow, so that's how a small grenade mortar is used! Interesting, very interesting."
After a series of explosions, the rebel rockfall point on the slope was neutralized. The bandits were either killed or scattered in retreat.
Only then did the militia and the civilian militia continue their advance.
The more than a dozen small detachments each had about two hundred regular militia soldiers leading the way. The civilian militia, with weaker combat capabilities, poorer equipment, and no combat experience—only fervent zeal—were better suited to follow behind and consolidate their positions.
"Second squad, occupy Shiziping Heights! Immediately deploy a new hot air balloon."
A new reconnaissance hot air balloon ascended from Shiziping Heights, extending its observational range over a fresh area.
"Eighth squad, ascend Bandengya Pass, launch a new hot air balloon."
One after another, the Gao Family Village militia seized the surrounding high ground.
From each elevated position, a hot air balloon rose, covering an even larger area with its gaze.
This method of searching the mountains proved astonishingly efficient.
Soon, a vast expanse of the northern Micang Mountains had fallen into the hands of the Gao Family Village militia.
Mi Chuang Jiang and his men were forced to continually flee southward.
This search-and-escape battle in the mountains and forests lasted for several days. There were numerous small-scale engagements within the Micang Mountains, all ending with heavy rebel casualties and the rebels abandoning scores of bodies before retreating.
Mi Chuang Jiang's hiding place was constantly compressed, then compressed again, and again.
He had no choice but to keep fleeing, again and again.
By the time he came to a stark realization, he found his back pressed against a sheer, unclimbable cliff face. To his left was a deep gorge, promising certain drowning, and to his right, a jagged precipice, a fatal drop.
He had no hot air balloon to guide his path. Running aimlessly through the Micang Mountains was bound to lead to trouble, and indeed, here he was, at a dead end.
His throat tightened. Before him stood tens of thousands of Gao Family Village militia and civilian militia, forming a massive force.
A countless array of bolt-action rifles, breech-loading firearms, rifled muskets, smoothbore guns, and even a few workers armed with bows and crossbows—all pointed directly at Mi Chuang Jiang.
Mi Chuang Jiang swallowed nervously, dropped his weapon, kicked it away with a desperate thrust, then raised his hands high and roared, "Don't fire! I surrender! Don't fire!"
In Hanzhong Prefecture, Regional Commander Zhao Guangyuan was patrolling the city.
He saw a large crowd appearing on the plain outside the South Gate. Wang Er, leading the militia and civilian militia, had returned.
Accompanying them were Mi Chuang Jiang and his more than ten thousand disarmed followers.
Zhao Guangyuan's face lit up with joy: "Success! The mountain search was a success!"
He quickly ordered the city gates opened and went out to greet them.
Soon, the Hanzhong Prefect and Prince Rui also received the news and rushed out together.
"All the rebel forces in the Micang Mountains have been captured," Wang Er declared. "Hanzhong can temporarily lift its state of alert."
"Excellent!" Prince Rui was the first to cheer. "Finally, no one will try to steal my steam train!"
Everyone else exchanged glances, speechless.
While they were concerned with strategy, the Hanzhong Prefect's concern was the well-being of the populace. His gaze swept over the more than ten thousand captives. He said in a low voice, "What do you plan to do with these people? Their resettlement is a major issue."
"There's no need for the Prefect to concern himself with these individuals," Wang Er replied, using Sun Chuanting as a convenient shield once more. "We will escort them back to Xi'an and hand them over to Sun Chuanting for disposition." In reality, Sun Chuanting would likely not bother with these captives, probably throwing them directly into the Tianzhu Mountain labor reform camp or the Huanglong Mountain labor reform camp.
In any case, many years of labor reform surely awaited them.
Wang Er was about to depart for Xi'an.
The embroidered image of the Heavenly Lord on his chest suddenly spoke, in a voice only Wang Er could hear: "Wang Er, there's a better way to handle these captives."
Wang Er immediately responded, "Heavenly Lord, your subordinate humbly awaits your divine wisdom."
Li Daoxuan said, "Although we've brought these rebel forces under control, many other bandits are still stirring up trouble in Sichuan. It's quite possible that other rebel groups will traverse the Micang Mountains and encroach upon Hanzhong territory once more."
Wang Er pondered, "That's true... What should be done?"
Li Daoxuan continued, "Strengthen the defenses of the Micang Mountains! Establish outposts and beacon towers at several strategic locations within the mountains. If any bandits are spotted, immediately light the beacon towers to relay the news without delay to Hanzhong Prefecture, and from there, the people of Hanzhong can immediately notify Xi'an."
Wang Er listened and understood.
Shaanxi was the most vital heartland of the Heavenly Lord's liberated territories and had to be defended utterly and without compromise. It was unacceptable for bandits to inexplicably cross the mountains and launch unexpected attacks. Therefore, defending against the Sichuan rebels was an absolute imperative.
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