gnovel Chapter 58 The Embroidered Uniform Guards Arrive on the Island
Chapter 58 The Embroidered Uniform Guards Arrive on the Island
Chapter 59 The Embroidered Uniform Guards Arrive on the Island
Chapter 058 Although pistols have a very short range, usually within thirty meters, the problem is that two revolvers weigh less than a crossbow.
Unlike crossbows, which are far less lethal than pistols, Chen Ying only had 112 men under his command, but the problem was that they were equipped with 248 revolvers.
In Chen Ying's plan, his subordinates would basically not need to fight hand-to-hand, but would be shot directly with pistols. If two pistols with twelve bullets could not kill all the enemies, then it was not a fault of fighting, but that the disparity between the enemy and ourselves was too great.
Mao Chenglu thought that with his 1,300-plus trusted men, he could easily defeat Chen Ying, but unfortunately, he was overthinking it.
Even if he could disregard casualties and fight until the Shahe soldiers ran out of ammunition and food, the problem was that the Shahe army consisted entirely of armored soldiers. Although their armor was the standard lamellar armor of the Ming Dynasty, it was made of fine steel.
A knife can cut through iron armor; try wearing steel armor yourself.
They cleaved each one in two without making a sound.
Chen Ying originally intended to sell the revolver. He presented one to the Tianqi Emperor, one to Wei Zhongxian, and also gave one to Xu Xianchun and Tian Ergeng.
The problem was that none of them mentioned purchasing revolvers. This greatly hurt Chen Ying. In fact, what Chen Ying didn't know was that they assumed such sophisticated firearms must be very expensive, and the imperial court didn't have the money to equip them.
Thus, the revolvers produced by Chen Ying could only be equipped by the Shahe Garrison Command, which only had three hundred-household soldiers. At most, they could only be equipped with 336 revolvers.
When these soldiers fired, they created a real barrage of bullets; nearly four hundred lead bullets formed a deadly metal storm that completely covered an area thirty paces in front of the gate.
The rebel soldiers at the forefront fell like wheat being harvested, their blood instantly staining the bluestone slabs red. To make matters worse, cannon fire erupted at that moment, shells landing in the rebel ranks, each shell killing or wounding a large number of soldiers. They hadn't even seen the enemy's face, and they were now utterly terrified.
Someone shouted that they possessed sorcery, and the entire group began to retreat, which Mao Chenglu could not stop no matter how much he roared and slashed.
Just then, a large number of Dongjiang Army soldiers suddenly surged out from behind the rebels. Leading them was Deputy General Chen Jisheng, who raised his command flag high and shouted sternly, "Mao Chenglu has rebelled! Kill him without mercy! Those who surrender will be spared!"
The real elite have arrived.
These Dongjiang soldiers, clad in bright armor and in impeccable formation, advanced like a forest of spears, with archers following behind. The already routing rebel army instantly collapsed, and countless soldiers knelt and begged for surrender.
Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Mao Chenglu turned his horse around to escape, but Chen Jisheng shot an arrow into the horse's leg. The warhorse neighed in agony and fell to the ground, throwing him to the ground.
Before he could get up, four or five spears were already pressed against his throat.
The battle lasted less than fifteen minutes from start to finish.
Chen Jisheng strode up to Chen Ying, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Commander Chen, you've been frightened. Commander Mao has ordered that the rebellion has been quelled and requests that you come to the commander's tent for a meeting."
Inside the Dongjiang Army's command tent, Mao Wenlong rose to greet Chen Ying as he entered.
"Commander Chen, I, Mao, am ashamed of what happened today."
Mao Wenlong spoke very sincerely. He originally intended to use Chen Ying to lure Mao Chenglu into attacking, and then capture Mao Chenglu, thus doing Wei Zhongxian a favor.
Of course, the truth is not important. For a general like Mao Wenlong, the result is far more important than the truth. He is willing to make this gesture: "I have already turned against my own men for you, Wei Zhongxian. Isn't that enough sincerity?"
Even if Wei Zhongxian knew perfectly well that the real reason Mao Wenlong killed Mao Chenglu was because Mao Chenglu had cheated on him, he would still accept the outcome.
The problem was that the plan was excellent, but it went wrong. He never expected that Chen Yingmo's more than 100 men, using less than half of his manpower, only 50 or 60, would cause Mao Chenglu and his more than 1,300 men to collapse.
Mao Wenlong could still do the simple math. With Chen Boying's strength as the commander of the Shahe Thousand-Household Garrison, they had already surpassed the elite of the Jurchens. After all, even if they were just white-armored soldiers, a hundred elite Jurchens could probably crush the more than 1,300 men under Mao Chenglu's command within a quarter of an hour.
"Marshal Mao is too kind."
Chen Ying cupped his hands in greeting: "Purgering from within is a common practice in the military. However, next time, please inform us in advance to avoid accidental harm."
Mao Wenlong blushed slightly and chuckled twice: "It was my oversight. However, the bravery of the soldiers under the command of the commander of a thousand households and the sharpness of their firearms have truly broadened my horizons. More than sixty men defeated more than a thousand rebels with zero casualties. Such combat power is unmatched even by the elite troops of Liaoxi."
Chen Ying smiled faintly: "A mere trick, I'm afraid I'll make a fool of myself in front of Marshal Mao. It is Marshal Mao's strategic planning and decisive elimination of internal troubles that truly demonstrates his ability."
The two looked at each other, understanding each other without saying a word.
Chen Ying's move was actually a show of force to Mao Wenlong. In the future, Dalu Island would be right under Mao Wenlong's nose. It had grain and iron, making it a piece of easy prey.
Now that Mao Wenlong isn't eating, it's hard to guarantee that he won't want to eat anymore someday. Of course, it's estimated that Mao Wenlong wouldn't dare to now. If the pack is gone, when will wolves dare to eat tiger meat?
Even if they were of the same kind, fighting amongst themselves, they wouldn't dare bare their teeth at a tiger.
Mao Wenlong waved his hand to dismiss his attendants, leaving only Chen Jisheng to accompany him. He walked to the huge nautical chart hanging in the hall and pointed to the mouth of the Yalu River: "Commander Chen, regarding what you said last night about Dalu Island—"
When did Marshal Mao plan to hand over the reins?
Mao Wenlong looked troubled: "I am very sorry, I was negligent. I originally thought there were less than 5,000 people on Dalu Island. 5,000 people would be easy to settle, but a while ago, Jin Guan, the naval adjutant of Juehua Island (today's Juhua Island), received about 20,000 people from Liaodong from Lushun and transported them to Dalu Island for settlement. Now I have no way to settle them."
"Does Marshal Mao mean he wants to break the contract?"
"No, no—Commander Chen, please don't misunderstand!"
Mao Wenlong pondered for a moment and said, "But I have an idea. I'll transfer the navy and land forces, but what about the nearly 30,000 Liaodong civilians—Chen Qianhu—could we hire them now? They have hands and feet and can work!"
"this----"
Chen Ying didn't know how to describe Mao Wenlong. If you said he was stingy, he sent nearly 30,000 people directly. If you said he was generous, he deliberately did it first and then informed the emperor.
"I'm in a real dilemma!"
Chen Ying said helplessly, "I don't have a ship yet. It will take time to transport grain from Tianjin. What if—"
"Don't worry, Commander Chen, these people still have a small amount of food left, enough to last them for ten days to half a month!"
Chen Ying feigned hesitation and said, "But the problem is—"
"Commander Chen—I can give you 100,000 catties of coal and 100,000 catties of iron ore for free. You can temporarily cover up the smelting furnace!"
Seeing that Chen Ying hadn't agreed, Mao Wenlong continued, "I'll give you another 10,000 liters of timber, all top-quality Korean fir, enough to build a 3,000-liter ship!"
"All right!"
Faced with Mao Wenlong's gift, Chen Ying could only reluctantly agree. 100,000 catties of iron ore sounded like a lot, but the problem was that iron ore was really worthless. If he sold it to Chen Ying, it would only fetch four hundred taels of silver, and 100,000 catties of coal would only be five or six hundred taels of silver.
The real valuable commodity was timber. Many people mistakenly believe that timber was cheaper than iron in the Ming Dynasty. Timber was extremely expensive in the Ming Dynasty because the wealthy needed it to build houses. Even firewood, which could only be used for heating, was worth more than 100 coins per 100 jin (50 kg), three times the price of coal and nearly four times the price of iron ore.
Because most timber is owned, only large households own vast tracts of forest. In addition, transportation costs are too high. Taking Phoebe zhennan as an example, much of it is in Sichuan and Yunnan-Guizhou, and needs to be transported by small rivers to the Yangtze River, then from the Yangtze River to Hangzhou, and finally by canal or sea to reach the capital. The transportation cost is the biggest expense.
Dalu Island is located in the Yellow Sea, about 25 miles from Donggang, Dandong. It is about 8 miles long from east to west and about 1 mile wide from north to south. Its shape resembles a deer's antlers, hence its name.
The island's topography resembles that of a continent, with higher elevations in the north and lower elevations in the south. Because the mountains on the island can block the cold winds, many people from Liaodong have settled here.
After parting ways with Mao Yuanyi, Chen Ying, along with Chen Daniu, Chen Jisheng, and others, boarded a ship belonging to the Tianjin Navy and arrived at the island. The person responsible for bringing Chen Ying to the island was Mao Wenlong's adopted son, Mao Chengfu.
Although Mao Chenglu was called Mao Da, the problem is that he was not actually the eldest son; he was just the oldest in age. Mao Wenlong's first adopted son was Mao Chengfu.
Mao Chengfu was overjoyed. He had been suppressed by Mao Chenglu for more than four years, and now he could finally hold his head high. He was now in Mao Chenglu's position as a guerrilla commander.
Of course, Mao Wenlong will promote him; it's only a matter of time before he becomes a brigade commander.
"Commander Chen, please look. This place is surrounded by mountains on three sides, like a crescent moon, and faces the sea on the other side. It is a natural harbor for Dalu Island, and can usually accommodate more than a hundred ships!"
"Too small!"
Chen Ying was very happy at this moment. Although the island was not large, it was the best place. Iron ore transported from Korea could be sailed at most twenty or thirty miles.
"Is this still young?"
Mao Chengfu was somewhat puzzled. He knew that the South Wharf of Dalu Island was larger than the West Wharf of Pi Island, and with a little expansion, it could easily accommodate two hundred ships.
Especially at both ends of the crescent moon, there are more than a dozen reefs. These reefs can be expanded into gun emplacements. With a little management, this place can be used for both offense and defense.
In particular, the north, northwest, and west sides of Dalu Island are not suitable for landing. If you want to attack Dalu Island, you should either go from the southeast or the south.
Leaving the dock, there was a rammed earth road. After walking along this road for only two or three miles, Chen Ying frowned. Everywhere were bare hillsides, with hardly any trees or even grass.
Chen Ying later came here as a tourist. At that time, the mountains and rivers were beautiful, the water was clear and the sand was soft, the waves were gentle and the beach was flat. But now, it is barren.
Originally, there were only three or four thousand people on the island, but suddenly more than 20,000 people were crammed in. These Liaodong people were like beggars, with all their possessions and their lives as their only asset. In order to get food, they had to eat everything they could find, including tree bark and grass roots.
When Chen Ying and his men arrived on the island, countless civilians immediately gathered around them. Although many adults were afraid of getting into trouble with Chen Ying and his soldiers, the children were not afraid. At least a thousand children still surrounded Chen Ying, staring at him expectantly, hoping that he would give them a bite to eat.
If it were Chen Ying from when he first traveled through time, he would definitely order Chen Daniu and the others to give their rations to the children. But the problem is that they can't. With so many children and so many people, it would easily cause a stampede, resulting in many deaths and injuries.
"Please, sir, give me a treat, and I'll sleep with you!"
Looking at the child, who was less than four feet tall and about the same height as Song Xianze, Chen Ying felt as if her words were a knife stabbing into her heart: "My brother is dying—if he doesn't eat soon, he will die. Whatever you want me to do, I will do—"
Chen Ying said angrily, "What a messed-up world, and this damn Mao Wenlong—"
Mao Chengfu burys his head in the sand, seemingly oblivious to Chen Ying's curses, his face expressionless. He's seen plenty of hellish scenes like this before, so what's this?
The people of Liaodong have been living in hell for more than four years. The imperial court has forgotten them, and only Mao Wenlong remembers them.
"Mao Chengfu!"
Chen Ying couldn't pretend he didn't see it. Even in three days, let alone ten, a large number of people here would starve to death: "Go find Commander Mao, I'll borrow grain from him—"
"But—Commander Chen, our Dongjiang Army is also short of food!"
"Not even a thousand bushels of grain?"
"No!"
"I'll borrow five thousand shi (a unit of dry measure), and return ten thousand shi in half a month!"
Chen Ying also understood that this was another of Mao Wenlong's schemes.
Knowing it was Mao Wenlong's scheme, Chen Ying had no choice but to step into it. Although his moral bottom line was flexible and changeable, he simply couldn't bring himself to ignore the thousands upon thousands of people starving to death when he had money of his own.
Just as Chen Ying judged, Mao Wenlong was absolutely willing to do the business of borrowing 5,000 shi and repaying 10,000 shi, as Mao Wenlong was very efficient.
That afternoon, the two Haicang boats arrived at Dalu Island.
Chen Ying had extensive experience in organizing and mobilizing refugees. He first selected more than 600 people from the populace and combined them with Chen Daniu's hundred households, assigning them the responsibility of maintaining order.
Then, they recruited more than 1,600 literate people and organized them to register all the island's residents, including their names, places of origin, ages, and whether they had any skills.
Most importantly, after a bowl of thin porridge, people's hearts gradually calmed down.
Chen Jide said with a wry smile, "Sir, morale has been temporarily stabilized, but the problem is that there is still a significant food shortage!"
"Then let's buy grain!"
Chen Ying naturally didn't want to buy grain. Anyway, the Ming Dynasty was already rotten to the core. Whether he bought grain fairly from the market or not, it would only benefit those parasites. It would be better to let Zhang Changgeng make use of his strengths.
Tianjin at that time was not a city, but Tianjin Wei, Tianjin Zuowei and Tianjin Youwei, which were composed of the three garrisons of Tianjin. These three garrisons guarded the Grand Canal, so they naturally did not lack food.
"Someone, go find Commander Mao, I need someone!"
After finishing writing the letter, Chen Ying realized that if he wanted to send someone back, he would need to send at least one ship. If the ship encountered any danger and the letter couldn't be delivered, it would cause a major problem.
He planned to use the secret channels of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but the problem was that he had no way to contact them and could only passively wait for them to come to him. At present, the only person who could reveal his identity was Su Mei.
On Pi Island, Mao Wenlong received a letter from Chen Ying, who wanted Su Mei and offered to name his terms.
Mao Wenlong immediately smiled knowingly, revealing an expression that any man would understand. A woman was nothing to Mao Wenlong; more importantly, she could bring him closer to Chen Ying.
He was now eager for Chen Ying to borrow grain from him, borrowing five thousand shi and repaying ten thousand shi, even high-interest loans didn't have such high interest rates.
"Guards, take Su Mei and the other four to Dalu Island!"