novelhk Chapter 84 Ambush Fails
Chapter 84 Ambush Fails
The following night, Tangxun soldiers who had been withdrawn from Tainan joined Shi Lang, and they brought with them some rumors about the Ming army.
By noon the next day, Shi Lang had gathered over a thousand more Green Standard Army soldiers, bringing his total strength to just over two thousand four hundred. However, these Green Standard Army soldiers were mostly second-line garrison troops who had not directly participated in the campaign to conquer Taiwan and lacked combat experience.
If they were to be made the main force to fight the Ming army, Shi Lang knew in his heart that it would definitely be a dead end.
"Sir, according to the soldiers who withdrew from the garrison, it is rumored that the bandits won over the hearts of the people along the way, giving them money, and the people flocked to join the bandits, with some even actively guiding them..."
"The vanguard of the rebel army numbers about two thousand, and all of them are equipped with firearms. Led by a rebel guide, they will rush straight towards our camp and will arrive in no more than two days..."
Listening to his officers' report, Shi Lang looked at the exhausted, disheveled Green Standard Army soldiers who had gathered up, his face grim, and remained silent for a long time.
"General, the enemy's plan is extremely vicious!" Lan Li said worriedly, "Our army is already short-handed. If we lose the hearts of the people, we will be beset by internal and external troubles, and Taiwan will be in grave danger!"
Shi Lang closed his eyes, not answering, but pondering his next plan.
After a long while, he opened his eyes and said in a deep voice, "The rebel army, riding the wave of their recent victory and with the support of the ignorant masses, will surely become arrogant and reckless. We should choose a place where it is easy to set up an ambush, hide our troops, and wait for the rebels to advance rashly before inflicting heavy losses on them!"
After saying this, he immediately dispatched scouts to continue monitoring the Ming army's march and to search for places suitable for an ambush along the Ming army's likely route.
At that time, most of Taiwan was still undeveloped and covered with dense forests. Therefore, the Qing scouts quickly found a hillside with gentle hills and dense forests on both sides on the only road leading to Taiwan Town.
Shi Lang ordered Lan Li to lead 800 of his personal guards and 500 Green Standard Army soldiers who were ready for battle to set off immediately and ambush them in the forest on both sides of the hillside.
He then led the remaining troops to act as bait, taking the initiative to confront the Ming army's vanguard, feigning defeat to lure the Ming army into an ambush.
That afternoon, Lan Li led 1,300 soldiers away from the camp in a hurry and headed north along the official road, while Shi Lang personally led the remaining 1,000 men to pack up the camp at a leisurely pace and head south.
He ordered his soldiers to display his "General Jinghai" banner to inform the Ming army of his identity, and also ordered them to be alert, maintain their formation, and not let the Ming cavalry notice anything amiss.
At the beginning of the afternoon, the scouts of the two armies clashed again. Shi Lang was eating his dry rations with the help of his personal guards when a scout galloped back, dismounted, and said anxiously:
"Sir! The vanguard of the enemy army has advanced less than twenty li! Their ranks are well-ordered, their firearms are gleaming, and they number approximately two thousand. In addition, scouts are patrolling in all directions, making frequent incursions!"
Upon hearing this, Shi Lang slowly put down the dry rations in his hand and stood up.
He looked south, but the distance of twenty li was still not discernible. For an army that had already deployed its ranks, this distance was only an hour's journey.
"Reconnoiter again," he said in a deep voice. "Keep a close eye on the vanguard of the rebel army, paying particular attention to the movements of their scouts, and report back every quarter of an hour."
The scout obeyed, mounted his horse, and rode off into the distance.
Shi Lang looked around and saw over a thousand soldiers being ordered to line up. The five hundred sailors were his old troops who had followed him in pacifying Taiwan. Although they were not as elite as Lan Li's personal guards, they had seen battle before and would not collapse at the first touch.
However, the numbers were vastly different, and the Green Standard Army was not entirely reliable. If the enemy truly had two thousand men, as the scouts claimed, and were equipped with superior firearms...
"Give the order." He beckoned to several trusted officers and ordered them, "Arrange all the mortise and tenon cannons and tiger crouching cannons you have with you in front of the formation. When the enemy army gets close, fire a volley and then abandon the cannons and retreat. Do not linger in battle."
The officers exchanged bewildered glances, and one couldn't help but say, "Sir, those cannons are newly manufactured, high-quality firearms from Fujian Province. If we abandon them and give them to the enemy..."
Shi Lang gave him a cold glance: "Cannons can be rebuilt, but what will you use to defend the city if you lose your men?"
The officer stiffened and dared not speak further.
Shi Lang then looked towards the rolling hills to the north, where Lan Li's ambush was located.
Banxianpu is only about 20 li away from here. If everything goes smoothly, the enemy will pursue us here until dusk, which will be the perfect opportunity to ambush them.
……
Meanwhile, eighteen miles away, the Ming army's vanguard was at its main camp.
Chen Ang urged his horse to move slowly, with nearly a thousand line infantrymen and a thousand local auxiliary soldiers spread out in three horizontal columns behind him. Their red uniforms stood out conspicuously in the afternoon's feint attack.
"Report—" A dragoon scout galloped up and clasped his hands in greeting to Chen Ang, saying, "A small group of Qing troops, about a thousand strong, has been spotted eighteen miles ahead. They are carrying a banner that reads 'General Jinghai,' and it is suspected that Shi Lang has personally arrived!"
Chen Ang's eyes narrowed, and he blurted out instinctively, "Shi Lang?!"
He immediately realized what was happening, pondered for a moment, and asked, "What is the Qing army's formation like?"
"The ranks were loose, as if they were breaking camp and advancing south, but there were several cannons in front of their lines, and the soldiers were armed, so the defenses were still tight."
Chen Ang narrowed his eyes slightly.
Shi Lang was known for his cunning in warfare. Now, he personally led more than a thousand soldiers and dared to take the initiative to fight against the Ming army, which outnumbered them twice as many and had superior firearms.
"Give the order," Chen Ang said in a deep voice, "The entire army shall halt its advance and form ranks on the spot. Send out scouts to expand the search area, paying particular attention to the hills and woodlands on both sides for any signs of an ambush."
"Yes, sir!"
The messenger sped away.
Watching the messenger's departing figure, Chen Ang murmured, "If I'm not mistaken, that old fox surnamed Shi is probably hoping we catch up right now."
……
At the beginning of the hour of You (5-7 PM), the setting sun began to slant westward.
Shi Lang stood in the center of the formation, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
The vanguard of the rebel army had been stationed fifteen miles away for more than half an hour, showing no intention of continuing their northward advance. Scouts moved back and forth in great numbers, but they still refused to step into the battlefield he had planned.
"General, the enemy has stopped for so long, could it be that they have noticed something?" a close officer couldn't help but ask.
Shi Lang did not answer, but stared intently at the southern horizon.
Zhu Honghuan was much more cautious than he had imagined.
Or perhaps, the vanguard general was cautious.
Just as he was pondering this, a scout galloped back, bringing news that made Shi Lang's face darken:
"Sir! The enemy scouts have penetrated deep into our flanks. A group of about ten riders is searching towards Banxianpu!"
Banxianpu.
Lan Li's thousands of ambushes are hiding here.
Shi Lang closed his eyes, and the last glimmer of hope in his heart vanished.
The thief, as expected, did not take the bait.
"Pass down the order." He sighed softly and said, "The entire army shall retreat slowly towards the prefectural city. Order Lan Li to also withdraw from the ambush site and rendezvous with me."
The general was taken aback: "General, what about the ambush...?"
"An ambush?" Shi Lang said angrily. "The enemy is already suspicious, and their scouts are out everywhere. An ambush is now impossible. If Lan Li doesn't retreat, he will be surrounded and annihilated once the enemy scouts discover him."
He paused, gazing at the setting sun, and said softly, "This Zhu Honghuan is more patient than I expected."
After saying this, he turned his horse around and, surrounded by his personal guards, slowly rode north. The Qing army behind him also retreated like the tide, leaving only a pile of garbage.