Chapter 837: Building Defenses
The centurion's mood now was one of forced courage; whether he felt it or not, he had to act.
Hundreds of muskets were pointed at him. He knew that if he dared utter a word of hesitation, he'd be riddled with bullets like a sieve. So, he decided to play the part of the brave warrior!
After all, defending Xinma Fort was his assigned duty, and with two thousand reinforcements, it wasn't impossible to hold.
While the main Manchu force numbered thirty thousand, they wouldn't all come to a small place like Xinma Fort.
What likely showed up here was just a small raiding party.
With that thought, the centurion gradually found his courage.
No more running! Time to go back!
Just then, a large number of concealed soldiers emerged from both sides of Kouqian Gorge, a formidable and expansive force.
Their uniforms were pristine, their armor gleaming, and every soldier was equipped identically, presenting a perfectly orderly sight. Clearly, these were elite troops.
The centurion, his eyes envious, sidled up to Wang Er and whispered, "Esteemed... General... may I know your honorable name?"
Wang Er shot him a sidelong glance, disinclined to reply. He disliked official soldiers; he always had.
Bai Mao, however, emerged from beside him and murmured, "Where we're from, we can't tell you. You should understand."
The centurion glanced at Bai Mao, sensing an air of someone who had "navigated the system." This man was definitely a military officer of the imperial court.
He leaned closer to Bai Mao. "I get it. You left your garrison without permission to fight the Manchus, didn't you?"
Bai Mao chuckled. "You're quite perceptive."
The centurion cursed under his breath. "Damn it, the higher-ups place too many restrictions on us soldiers. Don't go here, don't go there, terrified we'll rebel."
Bai Mao responded, "Soldiers, you see, still have to follow rules. If soldiers stopped following rules, wouldn't the country descend into chaos? It's just that the rules from above are a bit rigid, and what's more, the people who make those rules aren't always good, which is why we're so restrained."
The centurion nodded eagerly. "Ah, yes, yes, exactly. You're much more articulate than I am."
The centurion made arrangements, leaving the soldiers' families hidden in a corner of Kouqian Gorge. He himself, with sixty of his troops, followed behind Bai Mao.
Bai Mao was the nominal leader of this force, but the true commander was Wang Er.
Wang Er, silent, led the army forward.
The centurion murmured to Bai Mao, "Your chief is really difficult to get along with."
Bai Mao raised a fist. "Watch your words. My elder brother's righteousness is vast as the sky, and he is deeply respected by everyone. If you speak ill of him, I'll hit you."
The centurion flinched, quickly shut his mouth, then changed the subject. "Your army seems incredibly formidable. So many men, all perfectly equipped, and everyone carrying a musket! What kind of newly rich army is this? I just want to ask, where did you get all that money?"
Bai Mao squinted. "This is the first time I've met a border army centurion with so many questions. The other centurion I once knew, he was cold and ruthless, fierce and wicked; even when he smiled, people felt he was killing them."
"Ah-choo!" Chen Qianhu, who was buying vegetables in the Gao Family Business District, having just purchased an arm-length white radish, suddenly let out a massive sneeze. It was such an uncomfortable sneeze that it seemed to dislocate his jaw. He quickly began rubbing his chin, contorting his face into all sorts of strange expressions.
The vegetable hawker, seeing the terrifying Chen Qianhu kneading his own face, watched his expressions shift repeatedly between "I'll hack you to death," "I'll eat you alive," and "I'll chop up your entire family and feed them to the dogs."
The hawker screamed in fright. "I won't take your money! All these vegetables are for you..."
Chen Qianhu: "???"
The hawker spun around and fled.
Chen Qianhu was alarmed. Why was the hawker running? He hadn't even collected the money! The Gao Family Village's "Three Disciplines and Eight Points of Attention" explicitly stated that one must not take a single needle or thread from the common people. If he accepted these vegetables, he would be violating military regulations—a grave offense!
Chen Qianhu shouted urgently, "Don't run, come back!"
The hawker ran even faster. "Don't you dare—"
—come any closer!"
Chen Qianhu insisted, "Don't run!"
The two, one chasing, one fleeing, sped through the busiest and most bustling part of the Gao Family Business District.
Onlookers saw Chen Qianhu vigorously rubbing his chin with his left hand, while his right hand gripped an arm-length white radish, making it look as if he were brandishing a knife, frantically pursuing the hawker.
The crowd gasped in terror. "Oh no!"
"Commander Chen Qianhu is chasing a hawker with a white radish, trying to hack him!"
"The Radish Blade technique?"
The hawker ran through two streets, but ultimately couldn't outrun Chen Qianhu.
How could a small hawker outpace a soldier who trained daily? Chen Qianhu took a large stride, caught up, extended his left hand, and grabbed the hawker's arm...
The hawker, scared out of his wits, whirled around. "I was wrong, I was wrong! I'll do anything, just don't kill me!"
Chen Qianhu sighed. "Why are you wailing like a ghost? I'm not buying this radish. I'm just giving it back to you, alright?"
He shoved the white radish into the hawker's arms...
As the hawker took the radish, his legs, already weak from running, gave out, and he staggered before falling.
The onlookers watched as Chen Qianhu, with the radish as his "blade," seemed to "stab" it fiercely into the hawker's chest. The hawker grasped the "blade" with both hands and collapsed tragically to the ground.
Chen Qianhu clapped his hands, then turned and walked away, shaking his head. "How strange. What was that all about?" Noticing the entire street staring at him with odd expressions, he couldn't help but wonder, "What are you all looking at me for?"
The crowd whispered, "Don't make eye contact with him, he'll kill you! Run!"
Everyone immediately scattered like startled birds.
Wang Er, Bai Mao, and the centurion, along with over two thousand troops, returned to Xinma Fort.
The small earthen fort seemed to whisper, in its aged and crumbling voice, tales of the Ming Dynasty's glory from the early Hongwu era.
Not every border army fort was built haphazardly; each one's location held significant strategic and tactical importance.
Xinma Fort was no different. It was a crucial stronghold guarding a vast area of villages southwest of Yingzhou. If this fort were held, dozens of villages behind it would be spared the ravages of war. But if it fell, countless common folk would suffer a terrible slaughter.
Wang Er glanced at the pitiable earthen fort and shook his head. "The fort is too small. It's useless; it can't hold two thousand of our soldiers."
Bai Mao immediately barked a command. "Engineer Battalion!"
A soldier stepped forward, snapping to attention with a salute. "Engineer Battalion present!"
Bai Mao ordered, "Immediately construct defensive positions."
"Understood!"
The Engineer Battalion immediately began their work, entrenching tools in hand...
A large number of ordinary soldiers, not part of the engineers, also joined the effort...
Digging and digging around the small Xinma Fort...
One after another, foxholes and trenches rapidly began to blossom outwards from Xinma Fort, transforming a large
area into Gao Family Village's defensive position.
The two thousand musketeers all jumped into their foxholes and trenches, quickly taking their respective positions.
Free reading.
Comments