inspire-indiana Chapter 984 New Year's Island Visit
Chapter 984 New Year's Island Visit
As the New Year's bells rang in the capital, a completely different scene unfolded on the Leizhou Peninsula, the southernmost tip of Daqing.
There was no festive hustle and bustle here, and the sea breeze, carrying a salty smell, could not dispel the somber atmosphere that permeated the military camp.
Since the Battle of Qiongzhou, Yang Zhongsi has never relaxed his vigilance and quickly led the main force of the Qing Army to assemble on the Leizhou Peninsula.
Now that the Southern Dynasty's fleet has been destroyed, the Southern army has no power to resist anymore, but its mission is not yet complete.
Those remnants of powerful families entrenched on Qiongzhou Island are the real culprits of the rebellion. This war for unification will not be truly over until these malignant tumors are eradicated.
There were some objections in the army, as the soldiers and even the generals were somewhat exhausted after fighting for so long.
In their view, with the false emperor captured and the main force of the Southern Army annihilated, the mere Qiongzhou Island, a barbaric and malaria-ridden land, should be left to fend for itself.
Why bother with a long and arduous expedition that only increases casualties?
Some people think that we should stop while we're ahead and let the soldiers have a good New Year first, and then talk about it after the New Year.
But Yang Zhongsi understood His Majesty the Emperor; Li Che did not want to be defeated, but to be purged.
Only by eradicating the root of the problem can we make all those with ulterior motives see the price of rebellion.
Despite opposition, he secretly assembled elite troops from various units at the military port on the Leizhou Peninsula long after the convoy escorting Li Ming headed north.
The ships of the First and Second Fleets also took this opportunity to complete their resupply and maintenance.
The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month is Little New Year.
Just as the people of the capital began to sweep their courtyards and prepare for the Kitchen God Festival, an imperial edict from the capital was delivered to Yang Zhongsi.
The imperial edict was concise and to the point, exactly as he had predicted:
"Order Yang Zhongsi's troops to cross the sea as soon as possible and annihilate the remaining enemy forces in Qiongzhou, ensuring that not a single culprit escapes!"
A glint flashed in Yang Zhongsi's eyes, and he said to the generals beside him, including He Conglong and Wang Sanchun, "His Majesty's mind is made up. We should do our utmost for His Majesty in one battle!"
With the imperial edict in hand, Li Che's prestige was enough to subdue all the soldiers and generals, and there were no more voices of opposition in the army.
On the very night the imperial edict arrived, the order to launch the amphibious operation was issued.
Yang Zhongsi ordered He Conglong to remain in Leizhou to oversee the deployment and transportation of subsequent troops, provisions, and supplies.
He himself, along with Wang Sanchun, boarded the first ship to land and set foot on the humid land of Qiongzhou.
Under the cover of night, 30,000 elite Qing troops began to board the ships in an orderly manner, while the naval warships tirelessly shuttled back and forth in the strait between Leizhou and Qiongzhou.
With oars cutting through the waves and sails billowing, the massive fleet, under the cover of night, hurtled towards the opposite shore.
That night, the strait remained sleepless.
By dawn, the first batch of Qing army soldiers, along with some light artillery and supplies, had all landed on the north shore of Qiongzhou Island.
The whole process went surprisingly smoothly, without any resistance.
Clearly, the remaining enemy forces on the island were completely stunned and even began to give up, failing to establish any defenses along the coast.
The Qing army chose a bay north of Qiongzhou Prefecture as their assembly point.
After landing, Yang Zhongsi immediately went to a high ground about twenty miles outside Qiongzhou City and set up a forward command post.
As dawn broke, the thin mist on the sea gradually dissipated, and the low outline of the city walls of Qiongzhou Prefecture could be vaguely seen in the distance.
Inside the command post, the generals were gathered. Although they had traveled across the sea overnight, none of them showed much fatigue.
Yang Zhongsi stood before the map, scanned the familiar faces under his command, and began issuing orders:
"Gentlemen, although the false emperor has been captured, the remaining forces on the island have not been eliminated. In particular, those heads of aristocratic families, His Majesty has issued a clear decree that they must all be taken down."
"Therefore, the objective of this battle is not to occupy territory, but to annihilate the enemy!"
He pointed heavily at Qiongzhou Prefecture on the map, his gaze sweeping over the generals before finally settling on an ugly face: "Wang Sanchun!"
"Your subordinate is here!" Wang Sanchun stepped forward, his voice booming like a bell.
"You are hereby ordered to lead 10,000 elite troops to set off immediately, seize Qiongzhou Prefecture City, and kill any remnants of the puppet dynasty's army that resist within the city!"
"But remember, His Majesty has ordered that the people must not be disturbed and the innocent must not be killed indiscriminately. Qiongzhou is also part of the territory of Daqing and must not be regarded as a barbarian state."
"Once the city is under control, immediately seal off all government offices and treasuries, and arrest the heads and core members of the powerful families. There must be no mistakes!"
"Understood!" Wang Sanchun clasped his hands in a fist salute, turned around, and strode away.
Yang Zhongsi's finger then left the prefectural city and traced the shadowed area on the map that marked the continuous mountain range:
"The remaining units, organized by battalion, will radiate outwards to seize key transportation routes, especially passes and paths leading to the central mountainous region."
"Qiongzhou is a barren and impoverished land with limited production. If the remaining enemy forces flee into the mountains, they will inevitably have limited supplies."
"We only need to firmly control the villages, towns, and water sources in the plains and along the coast, and block their access to supplies."
"Without food and salt, they won't last long in the mountains. I can simply catch them like turtles in a jar."
All the generals bowed and accepted the order.
After assigning the tasks, Yang Zhongsi paused and softened his voice, saying, "I know the soldiers have been fighting hard, and with the New Year approaching, their homesickness is even stronger."
"But you should know that we are just tired, while the enemy is disorganized and has no fighting spirit."
"The outcome of this battle is no longer in doubt. I await your good news. We will spend the New Year in Qiongzhou Prefecture this year."
"We will obey your command!" the generals roared in response.
. . . . . .
The heads of the powerful families never expected that the Qing army's advance would be so swift.
Like a cold wave that comes out of nowhere in the twelfth lunar month, it arrived at the city gates overnight.
The seven people gathered in the simple Qiongzhou government office. The scene was so similar to the secret plot they had made in the capital a few years ago, yet completely different.
Gone are the fragrant sandalwood aromas, gone are the exquisite teas, gone are the charming maids who stood at attention, and even the puppet emperor is gone.
The seven once powerful elders now sat slumped in their chairs like seven pieces of withered wood about to burn out, their splendid robes unable to conceal the decay emanating from their very bones.
Just like a few years ago, it was the Zheng family head who broke the silence first: "Let's go, we have to go, Qiongzhou can't be defended."
The head of the Wang family stared blankly at the dim light filtering through the roof, muttering, "Where to go? The world is vast, but where is there even an inch of land left for my family to stand on?"
A look of madness flashed in the eyes of the Zheng family patriarch, and he lowered his voice and said, "Why don't we go to Southeast Asia and take a gamble? I've heard that there are many island nations there, and the natives are ignorant and backward, some of them are even still practicing slash-and-burn agriculture."
"If we can control one or two small countries and become local emperors, we might be able to make a comeback!"
Upon hearing this, the other family head couldn't help but sneer: "Easy for you to say. Where are the ships? Our last fleet was lost in the strait. How can those remaining sampans possibly cross the open sea?"