Finest Servant

Chapter 248 Siege Drills

Having marched continuously, within less than two days, they heard the distant roar of cannons, signaling their approach to Jining City.

General Lin was leisurely discussing with Gao Qiu whether the courtesans of Nanjing or Hangzhou had larger buttocks when Hu Bugui hurriedly arrived. He reported, “General, Jining City is about twenty miles ahead. The armies from the left and center have already encircled the north and east gates of Jining. The navy has also blocked off the southern gate leading to Weishan Lake, thus the soldiers from these three routes are already clashing with the rebel White Lotus Army inside the city. All that is needed is for our army to head north and trap them at the western gate, then the White Lotus Army will be completely surrounded and unable to move.”

Jining City was situated by Weishan Lake, serving as the lake’s northern origin point. With naval blockades, the White Lotus Army naturally had no escape route.

Lin Wanrong sneered, “Naval blockade? Can we really trust that? Remember when we were in Pei County, wasn’t there supposed to be a blockade then, too? But those damned White Lotus rebels still managed to sneak attack us by sailing along the lake unnoticed.”

Du Xiuyuan, standing beside him, replied, “What the general may not know is that after the attack on Pei County, Marshal Xu thoroughly investigated the navy at Weishan Lake and appointed a new commander. This time, the rebels will have no chance to escape via Weishan Lake.”

‘So Old Xu has done this, why didn’t I know? It seems that the old man didn’t intentionally use me as a pawn last time,’ Lin Wanrong nodded, “If that’s the case, tell our brothers to slow down. We’ll rest every five miles and build a fire every ten miles, so that everyone can take their time on the road.”

Hu Bugui exclaimed, “General, how can that be acceptable? The three armies are currently besieging the city and are all waiting for us to complete the encirclement.”

“Encircle? Encircle my ass.” Lin Wanrong laughed, “After encircling, we launch the siege?”

Hu Bugui asked puzzled, “Are we not going to launch a siege?”

Lin Wanrong, still laughing, said, “Brother Hu, even though I’ve never been to Jining, I know the White Lotus has been entrenched there for many years. If this city was so easily conquered, would Marshal Xu need to personally lead tens of thousands of troops to subjugate it?”

As a native of Jining, Hu Bugui agreed, “What the general said is extremely accurate. The White Lotus has entrenched themselves in Jining for many years, having fortified it like an iron bucket. The city is robust, easy to defend and hard to attack. Moreover, it’s their last stronghold, where all their elite troops have gathered. They would not give up the city easily, if we forcefully attack, we would face fierce resistance and our army would suffer heavy losses.”

Du Xiuyuan chuckled, “Old Hu, your analysis is indeed quite sound. It seems you’ve become quite clever recently.”

Beaming, Hu Bugui replied, “Of course, being with General Lin, how could I not become clever?”

Lin Wanrong, laughing and chiding, said, “Enough with the flattery from you guys. Slow down the march, let the brothers eat and drink well, and get plenty of rest.”

Du Xiuyuan cautiously asked, “The other three forces are all hoping for us to encircle Jining, why does the general want to slow down the pace?”

Hu Bugui added, “Yes, hasn’t General Lin forgotten that Marshal Xu said, whoever first breaches Jining City would be the one he recommends for the first merit before the Emperor?”

“Seeking merits? I’ve never cared for such,” Lin Wanrong said with a laugh, though he knew Hu Bugui and Du Xiuyuan still depended on their military achievements for promotion. He turned to Du Xiuyuan, “Brother Du, I have a question for you. If you were the commander of Jining City’s defense force and saw large armies attacking from three sides, with only the west quiet, what would you think?”

Du Xiuyuan took a moment to consider before answering, “I certainly would not let my guard down. No movement does not mean there is no danger. On the contrary, the quieter it is, the more vigilant I should be. If I were the defense force, I would surely reserve an elite force to guard the west. Ah, I understand now. General, your idea is to block the west, to surround but not attack. This not only minimizes our army’s sacrifice but also restricts the enemy’s movements, preventing them from deploying all their forces to the other three sides.”

Lin Wanrong laughed, “You’ve only got half of it right. By surrounding and not attacking, it puts tremendous pressure on the White Lotus Army, causing them to panic and reducing their combat effectiveness. Of course, our brothers on the other three fronts might have some complaints, but half of our ten thousand brothers are cavalry, unsuitable for sieging a city. If the remaining five thousand infantry were to lay siege, the White Lotus would surely mobilize all their forces for defense. Even if we managed to break the city, our losses would be heavy. This trade-off doesn’t make sense. We might as well hold the western gate, occasionally performing attack and defense drills, keeping these bandits on edge, and thereby somewhat alleviating the pressure on the other three sides. Someone will understand our painstaking efforts.”

“Attack and defense drills?” Du Xiuyuan asked, “What do you mean by that?”

Lin Wanrong gave a mysterious smile but did not answer. Instead, it was Hu Bugui who asked, “What if the enemy chooses to break out?”

“Break out? That would be great,” Lin Wanrong said with a grin. “Our five thousand cavalry have yet to be put to use. I look forward to making the enemy work while we rest. If they dare break out, we can surround them with our cavalry and storm the city with our infantry, killing two birds with one stone. Hehe, in that case, won’t it still be our brothers who first breach the city?”

It was only then that Du Xiuyuan understood the ingenious plan. General Lin was indeed far-sighted.

Leading his right-wing soldiers, Lin Wanrong slowly pushed forward. The twenty-mile journey took them until noon. By this time, the soldiers from the other three fronts were battling the city with drumbeats reverberating in the air.

From a distance, Jining City indeed appeared to be fortified exceptionally well. The White Lotus soldiers defending the city, their heads wrapped in white gauze, held swords and spears, fiercely resisting the ladder-climbing soldiers. These White Lotus soldiers were well-trained, and though they numbered only about ten thousand, they were repelling wave after wave of attacking soldiers by making use of the city’s high walls and natural defenses.

Lin Wanrong recalled what Xu Wei had said before they set off from camp, claiming the White Lotus sect had only five thousand soldiers, all of them ragtag. Clearly, that wasn’t the case. Looking at the White Lotus’s forces, there must be over ten thousand of them, and they were far from ragtag. He wondered where they got such well-trained soldiers.

Upon seeing the arrival of a large army from the west, the White Lotus defenders became tense. Thousands of soldiers stood on the city wall, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

Lin Wanrong had a chair brought over and a cup of tea prepared. He leisurely sat down, sipped some tea, and yawned a few times facing the west gate of Jining. Suddenly, he called out loudly, “Li Sheng, where’s Li Sheng?”

“Here, general!” Li Sheng responded hastily.

“Target your five cannons at the top of the western city wall,” Lin Wanrong commanded. “Fire a few good rounds and let those bastards know that my formidable right-wing army has arrived.”

The cannons played a huge role in the suppression of the White Lotus. Originally, the ten cannons of the Divine Machine Unit were not enough. Xu Wei had mobilized twenty newly modified cannons from Anhui and Shandong, transporting them to the frontline. During the reorganization in Feng County, Lin Wanrong’s right-wing army received five cannons, and the left-wing army under Zuo Zongyou also got five. The central army led by Tong Cheng, having more cavalry, was given the remaining twenty cannons by Xu Wei, kept for their use in city sieges.

Li Sheng turned the muzzle, aimed at the west gate of Jining, and fired a series of powerful volleys. Amid the thunderous noises, chunks of dust fell from the western city gate, and several White Lotus soldiers who were hit fell from the wall.

Lin Wanrong gave Hu Bugui a knowing look. Hu Bugui dismounted and loudly ordered, “Boys, charge with me!”

Behind him, thousands of elite cavalry and three thousand infantry let out earth-shattering roars and charged with him.

The White Lotus soldiers defending the city hurriedly fired a shower of arrows, but they fell to the ground far away, causing no harm to the soldiers.

Mid-charge, Hu Bugui suddenly waved his hand. The soldiers behind him all stopped, changing their formation. The cavalry and infantry split, no longer charging forward. To the surprise of the defenders, they brazenly started to drill right before their eyes.

The White Lotus soldiers on the city walls dared not slack off. They watched the government forces’ movements nervously, only to see them finish their drills after a while and orderly return to camp.

The defenders finally let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, another round of thunderous cannon fire resonated. The government’s cannons roared again, causing a part of the city gate to collapse. As the firing ceased, Du Xiuyuan led another wave of soldiers to charge forward, but they too, just like Hu Bugui, stopped mid-charge and began to drill.

The White Lotus soldiers were at a loss but dared not slack off because no one knew when this drill would turn into a real attack. Anxiety pervaded the city walls.

Lin Wanrong chuckled. ‘I have plenty of cannonballs, let Li Sheng bombard day and night and keep you restless. With ten thousand soldiers divided into three waves, taking turns to drill, let’s see if you’re scared or not, defend or not. Damn it, don’t blame me for having more men. Yes, I am bullying you, so what?’

Hu Bugui returned, dismounted and laughed, “General, your plan is ingenious indeed. With our mix of real and feigned attacks, we didn’t lose a single soldier, but those bastards from the White Lotus must be scared shitless.”

The sounds of cannons and fierce fighting became even more intense on the other three sides, clearly entering the siege phase.

“General, a messenger from General Tong Cheng, the commander of the Central Army, requests our cooperation in the siege!” a courier reported.

“Reply to General Tong,” Lin Wanrong said. “Tell him our army is in the middle of siege training.”

Watching the courier rush off, Hu Bugui chuckled, “I only learned yesterday that the man whose leg we broke, Zhai Canghai, is actually General Tong’s nephew by marriage. Zhai Canghai’s sister is the beloved concubine of General Tong.”

‘His actual nephew? Damn, I made a casual guess and didn’t expect to hit the nail on the head.’ So Tong Cheng stood up for Zhai Canghai, and it indeed had a good reason behind it. Lin Wanrong glanced towards the Central Army’s direction. Twenty or so giant cannons were firing continuously at Jining City. The blasts of fire were blinding, and the dust stirred up by the explosions shrouded the city walls in smoke. ‘This Tong really does have powerful artillery. If he aimed a few rounds at me, even with my skills, I’d be done for.’

With ten thousand soldiers performing these back-and-forth drills several times, the White Lotus soldiers defending the city became increasingly tense and dared not let their guard down.

Listening to the rumble of cannons and the sounds of combat from the other three sides, Hu Bugui anxiously said, “General, it seems Jining City is about to be taken. If we don’t attack now, someone else will seize the merit…”

Before his words had fallen, a deafening war cry was heard. The west gate of Jining City swung open, and a flood of soldiers charged out.