Outnumbered? I'll conquer America with an unlimited number of suicide soldiers.

Chapter 89 The Qing Army Attacks

"You want to become a human trafficking agent?"

Li Wenmao's face darkened, his already tanned skin turning even darker. He stared into Hongwu's eyes and said, "Sell them to America, the men to do hard labor? The women to become prostitutes?"

"Of course not!"

Hongwu met his gaze without fear and said, "I am also a Han Chinese, how could I possibly commit such a heinous act against my own people?"

"I have only one reason for wanting them: the Xinghan Church needs Han Chinese on American soil. We need farmers, we need workers, we need the next generation to reproduce."

He spoke sincerely: "Marshal Li, Marshal Chen, I'll be frank with some things."

Of the hundreds of thousands of Red Turban Army soldiers, how many were actually capable of fighting on the battlefield? How many were elderly, weak, women, and children? Those civilians who followed the army had no food or clothing and could not survive, so they joined you. But can you afford to support them?

Li Wenmao remained silent.

Hongwu was right; there were indeed too many idle people in the Red Turban Army.

Aside from the able-bodied men and women, the elderly and children, and the refugees who had fled, Li Wenmao couldn't ignore them, but taking care of them was too much of a burden.

Hongwu said, "You are all about to go to Guangxi. The Qing court has blocked the border from the north with layers of defenses. Of the hundreds of thousands of people you have, how many can you actually take with you? I imagine only a few tens of thousands of elite troops."

"And what about the rest who failed to make it? I don't need to elaborate on their fate. Apart from a few lucky ones, the rest would only die a miserable death during the Qing government's manhunt—"

Chen Xianliang, standing to the side, retorted, "Who said we're all going to Guangxi? I'm staying."

Hongwu frowned upon hearing this.

Even at this point, with the Qing army surrounding and suppressing them, the Red Turban Army still hasn't reached a consensus.

Damn, calling you a mob is an understatement.

His lips twitched slightly as he looked at Chen Xianliang and said, "Marshal Chen, even if you stay, what difference will it make?"

"To put it bluntly, even before the Red Turban Army split up, it was already being forced into retreat by the Qing army. After the split, how long can your own troops hold off the Qing army?"

"In the end, the result was no different from what I had predicted."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xianliang's face instantly darkened. He slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and roared, "You damn old hag, how dare you underestimate me? I'll beat you until your own mother doesn't recognize you, or I'm not Chen!"

"Xianliang!"

Li Wenmao, who was next to him, got up, pulled him back into his seat, and pressed him back down.

Li Wenmao looked at Hongwu again and said, "I agree."

Y

Chen Xianliang said urgently, "Second Brother!"

"Stop talking, my mind is made up."

Li Wenmao raised his hand, his words resolute: "Brother Hong, let's talk. How many men for one gun?"

Hongwu said, "One Pacific Type 1 rifle can be exchanged for five able-bodied men, ten women, or twenty children."

"The price is too high."

After doing some calculations, Li Wenmao shook his head: "A Western rifle would only cost twenty or thirty taels of silver in the Qing court, which is equivalent to the price of two able-bodied servants or four maids."

"Brother Hong, if you are serious about doing business, please give us a fair price."

Rong Hong then spoke up, saying, "Marshal Li is mistaken."

"You yourself said that was the price of rifles in the Qing court. If you were to sell them to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom or the Red Turban Army, those white people would generally offer seventy or eighty taels each. Am I right?"

Li Wenmao nodded and said, "That's right."

Rong Hong continued, "Seventy or eighty taels a bunch, enough to buy five or six able-bodied men. The price we're offering is very fair."

"But you brothers are Han Chinese. As fellow countrymen, isn't it a bit unfair to charge the same price as foreigners?"

Li Wenmao then began to appeal to emotions: "How about exchanging one gun for three able-bodied men, six women, or ten children?"

Rong Hong chuckled and said, "Marshal Li hasn't seen the guns we have yet, has he? Once you see them, you'll know that this price is already much lower because we're considering our compatriots."

Upon hearing this, Li Wenmao's curiosity was piqued, and he was about to say something when a voice suddenly rang out from outside the ancestral hall.

"Report!"

A man in full armor strode in, cupped his hands, and said, "Reporting to the two commanders, our scouts have reported that the Qing army outside Jiujiang Town is making unusual movements."

Li Wenmao walked up to the messenger in a few steps: "Explain clearly, what unusual activity is this?"

The messenger reported, "Reporting to the Marshal, reinforcements have arrived from Foshan, approximately two thousand men, carrying banners bearing the character 'Shen'."

"Shen Ziqi, Shen Dihui—" Li Wenmao narrowed his eyes, his voice low, "That bastard has finally arrived."

.

Hongwu listened quietly to the sound of his thoughts racing.

Shen Dihui, the Salt Commissioner of Guangdong, was entrusted with military power by Ye Mingchen, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, and was one of the most capable Han generals in Guangdong under the Qing government.

Last year, when the Red Turban Army besieged Guangzhou, it was he who led his troops in a breakout and counterattack to recapture Foshan. Later, at Huangzhuqi, he achieved a great victory against the Red Turban Army with fewer troops, killing more than 10,000 enemy soldiers.

Chen Xianliang slammed his hand on the table and stood up. The anger he felt from being contradicted by Hongwu had not yet subsided, and now he was filled with new rage. He looked like a volcano about to erupt.

"Perfect timing! I've been wanting to settle scores with him! Send the order to assemble the men; I'm going to personally chop off his dog's head!"

"Xianliang!" Li Wenmao shouted, stopping him. "Don't be impulsive."

He turned and walked to the map, staring at the troop deployments marked on it, his brow furrowed.

Chen Xianliang followed, his tone impatient: "Second Brother, what are you still looking at? Since that bastard Shen Dihui has delivered himself to our doorstep, let's kill him!"

"That's easy for you to say. There are at least five thousand Qing troops in the outer camp. If we want to take it down, we'll need more than twice that number of men."

Li Wenmao said, "With so many people mobilized, is Jiujiang no longer defendable? What if that Shen fellow pulls that feint attack trick again? What will you do then?"

Chen Xianliang was clearly unconvinced: "We've held Jiujiang for so long, and they can't break through!"

"That was before." Li Wenmao said without turning his head. "Back then, there were more of us, and he didn't dare to confront us head-on. But what about now?"

""

He pointed heavily on the map with his finger: "A-Kai has already led 20,000 troops to Guangxi to clear the way for us. The troops in the north are also preparing to break through. I guess that guy surnamed Shen took advantage of this and that's why he came here so brazenly."

Chen Xianliang opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

Although Jiujiang currently has a large manpower, most of them are the elderly, weak, women, and children; only about 20,000 are truly capable of fighting. Moreover, they are scattered across various water fortresses along both banks of the Jiujiang Canal, making it impossible to assemble them in a short period of time.

Hongwu suddenly spoke up: "Marshal Li, how about this?"

"Send two hundred elite soldiers with my men to meet the Qing army outside the town. It will also be a good opportunity for the two marshals to see for themselves whether my goods are worth the price."

Outside Jiujiang Town, the Qing army camp.

Inside the central command tent, Shen Dihui sat upright behind his desk, on which lay a hand-drawn topographical map of the Jiujiang area.

He was about fifty years old, with a thin face and three long strands of beard.

The tent flap was lifted, and a personal guard strode in, kneeling on one knee: "My lord, two British ships have broken through the naval blockade and are now anchored outside the Red Turban Army's naval camp."

Shen Dihui raised an eyebrow and put down his teacup: "A British ship?"

"Yes."

Shen Dihui remained silent for a moment, then a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips: "You certainly know how to pick your timing."

He looked at the map in front of him, his gaze settling on the location of Jiujiang Town. He lightly tapped the spot marked as the Red Turban Army's water fortress.

"Are the British ships here to smuggle arms and food?"

He muttered to himself, his eyes filled with disgust. "These foreigners, not content with helping Hong Xiuquan's Cantonese bandits, now they're helping the Red Turban rebels too."

An aide leaned closer and whispered, "Sir, the Red Turban Army is already troublesome enough, but if they also get weapons from the foreigners—"

"I know," Shen Dihui raised his hand to stop him, his gaze still fixed on the map. "Did you know that the traitor Chen led 30,000 men to Guangxi?"

The advisor was taken aback: "That traitor Chen is gone?"

"They're gone." Shen Dihui sneered. "Mobilizing tens of thousands of people? Do you think I'm blind?"

He turned around, sat back down behind his desk, and tapped his fingers lightly on the surface: "The Red Turban Army has split up and retreated westward, leaving Jiujiang with few troops. That actor Li Wenmao wants to stall me and buy time for Chen Kai. I won't let him have his way."

The aide cautiously asked, "Does Your Excellency mean—"

Shen Dihui ordered, "Pass down the order: all battalion commanders, come to the tent immediately for a meeting."

A moment later, the tent was filled with people.

Shen Dihui pointed to the map and issued orders clearly: "In the east, I will personally lead the attack from the direction of Foshan. Two thousand five hundred men, make a show of force, create a great impression, and make them think that I am going to swallow Jiujiang whole."

"He Gaohan, you will lead 1,500 men, detour from Shunde to the south of Jiujiang, and join up with the local militia."

He looked at a lieutenant general and said slowly, "Once we get to our position, don't rush into action. First, cut off the retreat route south from Jiujiang to prevent the Red Turban Army from rushing south into the Xinhui and Xiangshan areas, and then advance slowly."

The adjutant, named He Gaohan, bowed and accepted the order: "This humble general obeys!"

Shen Dihui continued, "In the north, the militia were already in place before I arrived. They may not be able to fight tough battles, but they are more than capable of guarding the key passes in the northern mountains and preventing the Red Turban Army from escaping north."

He then pointed to the west side of the map, to the Xijiang River: "As for the Xijiang River, have the navy leave a passage for them, only to monitor and harass, not to launch a direct attack. Let them see that there is an opening to exploit in the west."

The aide suddenly realized: "Does the master still intend to force them to head west?"

Shen Dihui nodded and said, "Chen the traitor is gone, and Li the traitor also wants to leave, so I'll give them a hand. Let them think that the west is the way out, and they'll walk right into that trap."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the generals in the tent: "Once they enter Guangxi, it will be difficult for them to return. Guangzhou will then be peaceful."

One of the generals hesitated and said, "Sir, what if they don't move west and instead hold out for Jiujiang?"

Shen Dihui chuckled lightly: "Defend to the death? What can we use to defend? Most of our elite troops have left, and what are left of the old, weak, women, and children? How many days can they hold out? As long as I adopt an offensive posture, they will panic. Once they panic, they will want to run. And once they want to run, they will run west."

He stood up, walked to the tent entrance with his hands behind his back, and gazed at the faintly visible direction of Jiujiang Town in the distance: "I do not seek to annihilate them in one battle, but only to drive them out of Guangdong. As for the rest, let the Green Standard Army in Guangxi deal with them."

An hour later, outside Jiujiang Town.

Li Wenmao and Chen Xianliang led two hundred elite Flying Tiger Army soldiers to the village.

The village was small, originally only used for warning purposes, and could only house a few dozen soldiers. When Li Wenmao and his men arrived, they immediately filled the village.

He climbed the watchtower and gazed at the Qing army arrayed in the distance, his face grave.

At the same time, Hongwu, along with about twenty people from the Chengfeng, unloaded several wooden boxes from a cart.

The boxes were opened; some contained neatly stacked rifles, while others held a strange-looking object. That object had ten barrels arranged side by side, along with a pile of metal fittings.

After taking the object out, Hongwu and his group began to assemble it quickly.

"What is this thing?" Chen Xianliang came closer and curiously examined the strange gun.

Hongwu didn't even look up: "The Dang Kou Type 1 machine gun has a theoretical rate of fire of about 400 rounds per minute."

Chen Xianliang was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "Brother Hong, do you think I'm stupid? Four hundred rounds per minute? My Red Turban Army's best marksmen are considered fast if they can fire three shots a minute."

Hongwu did not argue, but simply said, "Marshal Chen will see for himself later."

In the distance, the Qing army had already begun to slowly advance.

The banner bearing the character "Shen" fluttered, and swords and spears stood like a forest. The war drums beat loudly, and the troops advanced steadily to the rhythm.

Hongwu led his men up the stockade wall, picked up a rifle, and looked ahead.

In the Qing army ranks, a captain was brandishing his sword and shouting something. He was wearing armor and stood out much more than the soldiers around him.

Hongwu pulled the lever, lowering the boom bolt, loading a bright yellow bullet, and then closed the bolt.

He pointed the gun at the platoon leader and put his finger on the trigger.

Seeing this, Li Wenmao couldn't help but show surprise: "Your gun's loading method is quite novel and fast; no wonder you dare to charge such a high price. But you're going to fire when there's still more than a mile to go?"

Hongwu smiled slightly and said, "Watch closely, the captain at the very front of the line is going to die."

Upon hearing this, Li Wenmao looked over and heard a gunshot ring out!

Through the monoculars, the figure of the sergeant suddenly trembled, then fell straight down.

"Really hit?"

Li Wenmao said in disbelief.

He knew the shotgun in his hand; its range was less than half a mile, while only the gun in the foreigner's hand could barely reach a mile.

However, the gun in Hongwu's hand had a range of more than a mile.

As the marshal of the Red Turban Army, he knew all too well what this meant.

"Marshal Li, don't look away, keep watching."

Hongwu spoke calmly, and the assassins beside him opened fire.

More than twenty Pingyang-1 rifles opened fire simultaneously, and several officers-looking men fell to the ground in the Qing army ranks in the distance, causing chaos in the ranks.

"What happened?"

Behind the Qing army ranks, Shen Dihui, commanding the central army, frowned deeply as he watched the vanguard in disarray. "How come they can't even maintain their formation anymore?"

Soon a messenger returned with a terrified expression: "Sir, those Red Turban bandits used some kind of sorcery, and several captains and their personal guards have all perished."

"Dark magic?"

Shen Dihui sneered, "What bullshit magic! The gunshots earlier were probably fired by the foreigners' reinforcements."

"Pass on my order: send new captains and lieutenants to maintain the formation, and at the same time, have them take care of their own defense."

"Yes, sir!"

As the war drums sounded, the Qing army vanguard quickly restored order.

The column continued forward, but this time all the captains and lieutenants raised their shields, hiding most of their bodies behind them.

Bang bang bang!

The assassins fired shot after shot at an extremely fast pace.

In the distance, men continued to fall from the ranks of the Qing army.

But the Qing army's vanguard numbered a thousand, and the loss of a few dozen men was barely noticeable.

"Six hundred meters."

"Five hundred meters."

Hongwu grinned as he watched the approaching vanguard. "Machine guns ready!"