He roughly measured the exposed chimney of the command boat and the distance to the gun position, and found that it was only about 40 meters.
In other words, the enemy basically put a gun to his head and shot him.
This position was chosen really well! Mi Longtao had to admire the enemy commander - this was simply not the level that bandits could achieve! It was even higher than the common level of officers and soldiers.
He took a look at the abandoned cannon. It was not too big in size. The barrel was very long. If he looked carefully, he saw that the cannon was actually made of wood - but this was not too rare. It was cheap but had fine and strong wood grains.
Cannons made of wood can be found in various places. In the north, elm is mostly used, while in the Guangdong and Guangxi areas, lychee wood, iron wood, etc. are used.
Probably in order to allow it to withstand enough gunpowder, seven or eight wide iron hoops were placed on the body of the cannon. However, even so, there were still cracks in the tail of this wooden cannon. If another shot was fired, the gunner would definitely be killed.
.However, there were neither shells nor gunpowder next to the gun emplacement - the bandits probably didn't expect it to fire a second round.
Six or seven "wooden cannons" of different sizes were also found in the woods. Originally, Mi Longtao was too lazy to collect such trophies that could only be used as firewood, but this time he suffered a serious loss and had to be cautious.
He asked people to collect all the firearms abandoned by the bandits and sent them all back to Fengchuan and handed them over to the Intelligence Bureau for screening.
The task of cleaning up the battlefield was the responsibility of the Wuzhou National Army. This work was dirty and tiring, especially collecting the corpses of personnel from both sides. Most of the dead were killed by artillery fire, and many of the corpses were mutilated. Everyone looked disgusted.
"I came out to fight, and when I died, I didn't even have a coffin." Li Pudun helped carry the body, with a look on his face like "the rabbit is dead and the fox is sad."
"It's not bad if there are no zombies in the wilderness." Luo Mao directed the soldiers to dig holes, "Dig deeper! Don't be lazy! The brothers above your heads are watching!"
Li Pudun trembled and murmured: "Squad leader, don't scare people..."
Yang Erdong remained silent and digged a pit. It was a rectangular tomb. It was chosen at a relatively high place on the hillside to avoid being washed away by floods during the wet season. Seeing the sergeant measuring the depth of the tomb with a ruler, Yang Erdong thought about this Australian.
Sure enough, there are rules for farting. He has been in the army for many years and has seen many bloody scenes. It is common for several people to die in a battle. If he can dig a hole and bury it shallowly, it is considered a good deed.
The dead of the Fubo Army and the National Army were all wrapped in gray military blankets, and they were lined up at the bottom of the pit one by one. It seemed that there were already six people lined up.
"Lieutenant, this is the seventh one, that's all." Li Pudun helped carry the body to the edge of the pit, panting from exhaustion.
Li Dong looked at the corpse in his pocket under the soaked military blanket: a middle-aged man with dark skin and unshaven beard. The corpse was more complete than the previous ones that had been swept by artillery shells, but his chest was frighteningly sunken and there was no blood on his body.
, there were large blood stains on the corners of his mouth and nostrils, probably because he was hit by something and suffered internal injuries.
There is no shortage of items on the corpse. Although it is normal for equipment and weapons to be lost in battle, especially for soldiers who died in battle, things that make money from the dead also happen from time to time. This is something that the officers responsible for the aftermath should focus on guarding against.
Li Dong grabbed a small piece of bamboo from the string around the body's neck and took off the armed belt. According to regulations, weapons and equipment must be recycled. Ammunition boxes, bayonets, water bottles... were removed one by one, and in the end only the equipment was left.
A bag for personal items. The bag has been around for a long time and has been patched. It has probably traveled to many places with its owner. He didn't open it to take a look - there might be wallets and other belongings inside, so avoid them.
Secondly, he was also afraid of seeing any of the deceased's personal belongings that would offend the situation.
He tied his ID tag to his bag and threw it into a large pocket.
"Wrap it up and bury it." Li Dong said, and the two soldiers quickly wrapped the body in a blanket, tied it with string, and carried it to the pit.
The soil was filled into the tomb, and after a while, a rectangular tomb was raised on the ground. Naturally, there was no stone tablet in the hurry, so he cut down the wood to mark it, and wrote the year, month, day and unit number with ink.
After setting up the monument, the bugler blew the "Lights Out" signal and the rifleman fired a volley into the air.
"Form the team! Get ready to go." Zhu Siyuan was impatient with waiting. He was about to gather and set off when he suddenly saw Li Pudun running out of the queue. He had been crying all the time, but now his face looked better. He didn't care about others.
He ran to the grave, gathered some soil to make incense, knelt down and recited a few verses of the sutra, and kowtowed several times.
When he did this, some of the National Army soldiers kowtowed and prayed in twos and threes. Li Dong was so upset that he couldn't laugh or cry. Then he thought, things are like birds of a feather: Today, you kowtow for others, but who will do it to you tomorrow?
Kowtowing. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a little sad, and immediately urged the soldiers to march towards Xu Gang.
On the Xu Gang side, as soon as Mi Longtao's reinforcements appeared, the Xu family was filled with joy. The head of the Xu family, Xu Weicheng, went to the intersection to greet him in person. Several elderly members of the clan who had been "recuperating" at home ignored the objections of their family members.
He was half-supported and half-carried by servants and maids, who came to greet him from a distance.
Xu Weicheng's face was now clear of all the panic and anxiety, and his smile was particularly bright - he had prided himself on being "inexpressible" since he was young, whether he was dealing with unruly tenant slaves or being brought to him by a nanny.
The eldest grandson all had the same face. But today, he could not suppress his joy. Xu Gang had finally escaped the disaster of annihilation!
It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a "catastrophe". Since the news of the Yao people's rebellion came, bandits on both sides of the Xijiang River have become extremely rampant. The rioting Yao people coming from the mountains are mixed with the defeated officers and soldiers and "bad guys" from all along the river.
, mixed into various bandit groups. They killed and looted everywhere. Many small villages lacked defense or were weak and were attacked by bandits. Horrifying legends of various murders and robberies continued to spread to Xu Gang - even live ones
They saw an example: just a few days ago, a group of bandits attacked a small village less than five miles away from here, killed and robbed dozens of villagers, and burned the entire village. After this incident, many people nearby
People from small villages flocked to Xugang for refuge. From their mouths, the villagers in Xugang heard countless stories of bandit atrocities, real or fake, which made the whole village panic and frightened three times a day.
This time, the Fubo Army arrived in time and drove away the bandits, which made Mr. Xu feel reassured - not only because Xu Gang was saved, but also because the "director" of the county said that "whenever there is a difficulty, he must be rescued"
The promise was fully fulfilled. Australians are true to their word and trustworthiness!
This gratitude also turned into a feast for the entire village of Xugang. The troops commanded by Mi Longtao received a warm welcome when they entered Xugang. Mi Longtao was also welcomed into the ancestral hall surrounded by Mr. Xu and other people.
After a few polite words, Xu Weicheng immediately asked someone to bring a plate full of silver ingots. There were as many as two hundred taels.
"This is a little thought from everyone in our village, for the general's reward..."
"Take back the money." Mi Longtao waved his hand and said, "It is our duty to maintain local security - you have also paid a reasonable burden. There is no reason to pay twice for the same thing."
These words were not too unusual for Mr. Xu who had gone to see the "director", but they were a bit shocking to others. Since ancient times, when soldiers cross the border, they have strict discipline if they do not burn or loot. If they come to suppress bandits, they must fight
After winning a battle, it is normal for the local government to give some money and food as a reward. When Emperor Wanli was in power, he went to help North Korea and the officers and soldiers regained the capital. The North Korean monarchs and ministers also wanted to reward the officers and soldiers. This General Mi was good, and he said "
"Duty" - everyone looked at each other, a little confused as to what he meant.
Mr. Xu had dealt with the Australians and knew something about them. Although he was a little surprised that a warrior could calmly refuse the money, he still asked the servant to take the money back.
"...Since the general refuses to accept it, let our village reward the general's subordinates with wine and meat."
"Thank you, Mr. Xu, but there is no need to drink. Drinking is not allowed during military operations." Mi Longtao said politely, "Besides, I am not a general, so everyone can just call me 'lieutenant'."
No one knows what kind of official this "lieutenant" is. Those who have read history books know that during the Han and Tang Dynasties, the official position of "lieutenant" was among the guards - but these were all high-ranking officials showing their title, and the commander-in-chief of Mi Longtao
The status of the Hundreds of Big Head Soldiers is obviously inconsistent, and the Song Dynasty, which the Australians call themselves, does not have such a title.
While he was doubting, he heard Mi Longtao say that he was the "Captain of the Guards of Fengchuan County." Regardless of what the Captain of the Guards was, the word "Fengchuan County" was clear. Mr. Xu was also stunned.
Asked: "So Lieutenant Mi is from Fengchuan County?"
"Exactly."
"But... but..." Mr. Xu became even more surprised and couldn't help but speak out what was on his mind, "This is the jurisdiction of Yunan County."
Since ancient times, local officials have given their top priority to "protecting the environment and the people", but in turn, they are "not responsible" for things in other places - if someone dies on the county boundary, and the county official does not want to bother, there will be
Ask Li Jia to quietly dump the body into the neighboring county. Things like suppressing the bandits are even more local difficulties. It would be good if the county is willing to send troops to rescue the bandits in this county, let alone the neighboring county!
"Do we still need each other? Once you have surrendered to the Senate, you are the subjects of the Senate. No matter where you are, no matter whether you are a commoner or a commoner, if there is danger, our Fubo Army will come to rescue you. What's more, your place is far away from Fengchuan County.
Yunan County is much closer, and it's easy for me to set off from there - if we really wait for the Yunan County police team to come over, you Xu Gang may not be able to save it."
"Yes, yes, Lieutenant Mi, you are right!" Xu Weicheng raised his thumb secretly. The Australians are indeed well-deserved! He was originally worried about the Australian rule in Guangdong, fearing that they would not be able to maintain order in Guangdong and fall into chaos, but
At this moment, he was relieved - no matter how powerful the bandits were at the moment, the final winner would be the Senate!
Next update: Volume 7 - Guangzhou Governance Chapter 363