Chapter 464: Im Heading South for a Look
Chapter 459 of "The Great Ming in the Box" reveals: Hequ County!Li Daoxuan, now the Cloth Doll Deity, sat perched upon White Catâs shoulder armor,... Keep reading!
Hequ County!Li Daoxuan, now the Cloth Doll Deity, sat perched upon White Catâs shoulder armor, gazing at the lone city in the north.
Hequ County had become an isolated city.
Over twenty thousand officials had set up nineteen encampments, encircling Hequ in a ring formation. They had severed all connections between Wang Jiayinâs faction and the outside world from every direction.
This was the consequence of proclaiming himself king!
Wang Jiayin boasted an army of 350,000 men, yet only about a hundred thousand remained loyal to him now.
Bandits were, after all, just bandits. To expect them to grasp loyalty in jianghu, the principle that unity makes strength, or that a bundle of chopsticks is harder to break than a single oneâthat was nonsense. Had they understood such reasoning, they wouldnât have remained mere bandits.
White Cat sighed softly, âDeity, not long ago, Brother Wang Er and I were still among Wang Jiayinâs crew. Seeing him trapped here by so many officials⌠I still feel just a littleâŚâ He trailed off with a sigh.
Li Daoxuan extended his round, Doraemon-like cloth hand and patted White Catâs cheek, but said nothing.
This fellow was like a reformed gangster whoâd gone straight. Seeing his rowdy buddies from youthful days about to be nabbed by the cops stirred some nostalgia, yet no comfort was needed.
The General of Shaanxi, Wang Chengen, strode over with numerous subordinates. He pointed at the solitary city ahead and said loudly, âWhat about the shield carts I ordered you to make? How many are ready?â
One subordinate dashed forward and reported loudly, âWeâve finished five!â
The subordinate dashed off with eagerness to claim credit. Soon, a group of officials pushed out five large shield carts.
White Cat had never seen such carts before. Each resembled an enormous wooden wall mounted on four wheels. During battle, soldiers pushed it slowly forward from behind the wall. Enemy arrows and firearm rounds would be entirely blocked by the massive structure, protecting the soldiers pushing it completely unscathed.
He pictured in his mind: five shield carts moving forward side by side, shielding soldiers within an area spanning several yards. If he were defending, seeing these monstrous shield carts coming at him, he truly wouldnât know how to counter.
White Cat whispered, âDeity, these shield carts seem perfect against our firearm soldiers.â
Li Daoxuan chuckled, âCannons.â
He only uttered that one word before falling silent.
White Cat suddenly understood. What firearms couldnât budge, cannons could shatter. One blast against that thick wooden wall would knock it down instantly.
However, just then, Wang Chengen called out again loudly, âShaanxi General Wang Guoliang lost two Western cannons when he was defeated by Wang Jiayin last time. Those cannons are now mounted inside Hequ County! Shield carts alone wonât get us through.â
Hearing this, White Cat was momentarily stunned. âWang Jiayin has cannons now too? Then how do we deal with that?â
Li Daoxuan replied, âCannon against cannon!â
Sure enough, Wang Chengen turned to his subordinate and demanded, âThe cannons I ordered you to request from the local officials? Are they here?â
The subordinate nodded. âTheyâll arrive shortly! The Provincial Governor of Shanxi has allocated four Western cannons for us⌠We can trade cannon fire with the bandits.â
Wang Chengen declared, âGood! Use the cannons to protect the advance of our shield carts.â
White Cat seemed to grasp another lesson, muttering softly, âDeity, it seems during battle one must also consider flanking the enemyâs rear to destroy their artillery positions. Cavalry would be ideal for this, right?â
The Cloth Doll Deity gave a faint nod with its head.
White Cat grinned. âHeh, I reckon Iâm getting better at understanding warfare.â
His moment of pride was cut short by Wang Chengenâs next order: âSet up several rows of cheval de frise here! Protect both flanks! Position the archers behind the cheval de frise! Place those Western cannons assigned to us right between the two rows of cheval de frise.â
White Cat: ââŚâ
He suddenly realized his tiny bit of tactical insight probably felt like childâs play to these seasoned officials who must have mastered far more sophisticated strategies ages ago.
âWhat about this?â
White Cat was a bit puzzled.
Li Daoxuan: âSo itâs not just clever tricks that win wars, but wealth and resources. If you canât break the enemyâs formation with four cannons, doesnât matterâjust line up fifty cannons and blast them. Strategy or tactics, command and control⌠these only make matters better. Ultimately, victory is determined by national strength. And this strength comes from the inventions of scientists, the labor of ordinary citizensânever from robberyâŚâ
White Cat half-understood, half-didnât. But he realized one thing: the Deity held contempt for those who only knew how to rob and never create.
He lowered his voice, asking, âMaster Deity, is Wang Jiayin doomed this time?â
Li Daoxuan raised his hand as if to calculate by counting his fingers â ah! Round, cloth-covered sphere! No fingers! No flexing! Flexing wasnât meant for spheres!
Well, no need to pretend. Be straightforward: âWonât die this time.â
White Cat understood. Heâd spent years learning, too. After some thought, the conclusion hit him: âThe government troops have an advantage, but thereâs only over twenty thousand of them. Defeating Wang Jiayin is easy, but blockading him? Impossible. Trying to circle a county seat, theyâll spread thin and full of gaps. Unless Wang Jiayin is an idiot, heâll concentrate his hundred-thousand-strong force at one point and punch through.â
Seeing the manâs growth, Li Daoxuan felt genuine pride. Good. Good. But added: âHis fierce bandits will break out. But the elderly and weak, women and children? Trapped. Get ready to receive another wave of surrendering bandits.â
White Cat got it. âUnderstood!â
âOh, and try to earn some merit,â Li Daoxuan suddenly chuckled, wicked. âBoost your official title. Get into the Ming army. Try being an official.â
White Cat: âEh? Me? Really? Be an official?â
âHundred percent official!â Li Daoxuan: âOnce a high-ranking official, you can raise a private armyâŚâ
A dawn lit in White Catâs eyesâa private army! Wasnât that the Gaojia Village Militia? Then they could even merge officially with the government forces!
The Deity teasing mortals again.
So how could a mortal like him earn that big merit?
White Cat hesitated.
âSouth.â
Li Daoxuan spoke one word. Nothing else.
White Cat jolted, rushing with pride. He stepped before Wang Chengen, saluting: âGeneral, this subordinate wishes to scout the south.â
Hequ County was clearly to the north. Yet he named the south?
Wang Chengen thought: The man fears death. Wants to escape the battle after all.
White Cat had joined Wangâs ranks under the pretense of being a ârich heir seeking military glories.â Wang simply saw him as a cowardly slacker. Him dodging battle? Predictable.
Moreover, he was recommended by Liang Shixianâthe sponsor funding their army supplies. As much as Wang loathed it, he had to tolerate it. Sighing, Wang waved: âHead to the south to avoid battle then. Ugh⌠sneak away, low-profile. Donât disturb morale.â
White Cat saluted again, walked south alone, slipped from camp. Reaching a valley to the south, he found a perfect chokepointâan absolute must-pass. Hiding in the shadows, he slid out his firearm.
Externally identical to those of the government troopsâbut this one held rifled bore, making it vastly superior: a rifled firearm.
Resting it before him, he settled down to wait quietlyâŚ