bookrebus Chapter 716: Calling names one by one
Chapter 716: Calling names one by one
The limited lethality of black powder meant that this primitive version of the grenade could only kill the enemy with shrapnel and small projectiles pre-placed inside the shell. It was just a miniature grenade, but even such a replica was enough to destroy the last will of the soldiers to resist.
When the dark, iron lump rolled to their feet, the Qing soldiers didn't know what it was. A moment later, it exploded, and the blast wave knocked over people within several meters, leaving them covered in shrapnel and small bullets. Even those who didn't die on the spot were rendered unable to resist.
The Marines used grenades to clear the way, and with their agile handguns, they quickly swept through the entire Lushun Fortress, slaughtering almost all of the hundreds of armored soldiers.
After the red-bordered, yellow-background flag on the city wall was replaced with a flag bearing the character "琼" (Qiong), Li Fei and the others disembarked from the warship, calmly stepped over the corpses along the way, and stood on the city wall.
At this moment, the crowd, looking down from their vantage point, saw several Qing soldiers fleeing hastily on horseback through the north gate, presumably those who had escaped. Borchu raised his Patriot Type 9 rifle, aiming at them, but Li Fei reached out and pulled the rifle down from Borchu's hand.
Borhu looked at Li Fei in confusion: "Master, why not eliminate the problem completely?"
Li Fei shook his head: "Have you forgotten the purpose of our trip? We did not come to massacre the city, but only to alert the Tartars and slow down their southward advance. The escape of these people will be a good opportunity to inform Huang Taiji, so that we don't waste our efforts to capture Lushun Fort without our victims knowing, and our flattery is in vain."
"So, are we done with our mission now?"
Li Fei gazed at the northeastern defense line and said calmly, "It's not enough. Just taking Lushun is not enough to make Huang Taiji uneasy. We should continue north along the coast and attack each city along the way, letting the Tartars know that the entire Liaonan region is not safe. Then they will think twice before entering the pass."
Borhu looked down at the smoke-filled Lushun Fortress and asked, "What about Lushun Fortress? Should we leave it to fall into disrepair or send troops to occupy it?"
"Lushun is a crucial location. It connects to the Dengzhou-Laizhou coastal defenses to the south, links the gateway to Beijing and Tianjin to the west, allows for resupply from Korea to the east, and can contain the Tartars' southward advance to the north. Now that we've captured such a valuable place, we can't give it up easily. Just because the Tartars couldn't hold the city doesn't mean we can't," Li Fei replied. "However, our marines are limited in number, so let's leave the defense to our allies in Shandong. Immediately send someone to Dengzhou to inform Commander Su to send men to take over Lushun Fort."
Borchu replied, "Yes, I will send someone to do it immediately."
"Also, remember to remind them to bring plenty of cannons. Set them up at the Golden Mountain and Tiger Tail forts, and the Lion's Mouth to the south will be impregnable. Although the Tartars don't have a decent navy and pose almost no threat from the sea, Korea has already submitted to the Tartars. Those officials keep saying they're in the Qing Dynasty but their hearts are in the Ming Dynasty, but it's hard to tell friend from foe. If their navy launches a large-scale attack, it could still cause some trouble. At the same time, set up more cannons on the city walls, pointing north, to prevent the Tartars from attacking by land. Also, bring some cement craftsmen from Dengzhou to reinforce the city with cement. As long as we hold the north and south sides, Lushun Fort will be impregnable. Then, our Qionghai Army will have planted a thorn in Liaonan, making Huang Taiji feel like he has a thorn in his side."
"Yes, Master."
After capturing Lushun Fortress and sending messengers to contact the Shandong garrison regarding the takeover of Lushun Fortress, the Marines withdrew from the city, and the fleet departed from Lushun Port, rounded the Liaodong Peninsula, and continued northeastward along the coastline.
Li Fei was not worried that the undefended Lushun Fort would be reoccupied by the Tartars before Su Cu Tui's men arrived. Since only a few hundred people were sent to guard such a crucial place, it showed that Huang Taiji did not value the entire Liaonan region, or rather, he underestimated the Ming Dynasty's offensive capabilities and determination. The entire Liaonan army probably only had a few Niru, and they had to guard the forts and post stations in Jinzhou, Gaizhou, and Fuzhou, so it was impossible for them to spare any forces to support Lushun.
"Even if they take the risk and concentrate all their troops from these places at Lushun, we can take advantage of the situation, attack their back door, and defeat them one by one from the sea, taking all these places and saving a lot of effort."
"At the bow of the Shandong," Li Fei said to Boerhu beside him.
Borchu asked, "Should we capture all these places like we did with Lushun?"
“No. Our small land force isn’t here for that. Let the army handle the conquest and territorial expansion,” Li Fei said. “Besides, Lushun is enough for establishing a foothold. The other places are too far from Shandong, making it inconvenient to transport troops and supplies. If we take them, they will only become a burden to the Qionghai Army.”
Guide Liu Xing held up his binoculars and carefully observed the coastline ahead. Suddenly, he turned to Li Fei and said, "General Li Fei, Huanglongwei is just ahead. After passing this point, just walk about sixty li northeast along the coast and you will reach Jinzhouwei City."
Sixty li is only an hour or two for a sailing warship. Upon hearing this, Li Fei immediately ordered Silva to prepare, and the fleet was placed on standby. Then he asked Liu Xing, "How far is Jinzhou Garrison from the sea?"
Liu Xing recalled for a moment and replied, "I've been to Jinzhouwei before. It's very close, probably less than two li."
Li Fei secretly calculated that at such close range, they could use naval gunfire for cover, followed by a strong assault by the marines—the strategy was exactly the same as attacking Lushun Fortress. Feeling relieved, he casually asked, "What about Fuzhou Garrison City?"
"Reporting to the general, Fuzhou Garrison City is quite far from the shore. It is estimated that it will take about forty li to reach it after landing from the Changxing Island area."
"Forty li?"
Li Fei frowned. The distance was indeed quite far. Even if the Marines carried little baggage and were lightly equipped, the round trip of eighty li (approximately 40 kilometers) on foot meant that the entire day would be spent walking, rendering the combined mobility of the fleet and Marines meaningless. Without the fleet's fire support, and with the sparsely populated Liaonan region lacking local resupply facilities, a long-distance raid was not a wise choice.
After careful consideration, he made his decision.
"After taking Jinzhou, we will not stay in Fuzhou, but will bypass Changxing Island and head directly north to take Gaizhou."
A fleet of nine warships bypassed Huanglongwei and headed straight for Jinzhouwei. This task force began its operation to target Qing army strongholds in southern Liaoning one by one, and after Lushunkou, Jinzhouwei was the second to fall victim.