Total War: Restoration of the Ming Dynasty in Luzon

Chapter 26 Ambush

The next day at noon, on the eve of the expedition, Zhu Jiheng changed into a dark-colored outfit, with a sword at his waist. Looking at the soldiers who had finished assembling on the training ground, his face was filled with heroic ambition.

Three line infantry companies have formed a neat square formation, the soldiers with firm eyes and upright posture.

The cavalrymen tightened their reins, their horses trotting lightly on the ground, snorting softly, both rider and horse awaiting orders.

The four falcon cannons were polished to a gleaming shine, their muzzles pointing solemnly southward, with the gunners standing at attention beside them.

On their flanks were five hundred warriors from various Iloc tribes, armed with their tribes’ unique weapons—bamboo spears, machetes, and bows and arrows. Their faces were painted with symbols of bravery, and their eyes burned with hatred for the Spanish and hope for the strength of their new allies. Though poorly equipped, their morale was high.

The adjutant strode forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and reported in a deep voice, "Your Highness! The first, second, and third line infantry companies, cavalry units, artillery units, and five hundred Ilock Allied troops have all assembled! Supplies and provisions are loaded and we are ready to break camp at any time!"

Zhu Jiheng's gaze swept over all the soldiers on the drill ground. He took a deep breath and said loudly:

"Good! Soldiers! The Western barbarians are tyrannical, bullying our compatriots and violating the majesty of our Celestial Empire! Today, our Great Ming army marches south to meet them, and we must achieve a complete victory in our first battle! In this battle, we will display the might of our Great Ming army, subdue the villains, and bring peace to the people of Luzon! Those who perform meritorious service will be richly rewarded! Those who retreat in the face of battle will be punished without mercy according to military law! March forth!"

"May the Great Ming Dynasty prosper! Long live Your Highness!"

A deafening roar erupted once more, its sound waves soaring into the sky. The soldiers' eyes burned even brighter, their faces etched with fighting spirit.

Zhu Jiheng nodded slightly, slowly drew his sword, pointed it south, and shouted, "Move out!"

dong dong dong-

The war drums suddenly sounded, and the army slowly began to move. The orderly ranks marched out of the western city fortress and headed south. The infantrymen marched with firm steps, the cavalry protected the flanks, and the artillery carriages creaked as they were pulled by the draft horses. The Ilock warriors followed closely behind, their morale high.

The army marched south, and in order to conceal their movements, they did not raise any flags. The roads they traveled south were gradually replaced by jungles and valleys.

Zhu Jiheng rode on his horse, the October sun making him and his Chinese soldiers sweat profusely. Fortunately, the line infantry did not have armor in their equipment, so they were able to take off their outer garments and march in cooler undergarments.

The following afternoon, the army finally arrived at Snake Kiss Gorge. Ma Kandong had already received advance notice and was waiting inside the gorge.

Upon seeing the army finally arrive, he quickly led several members of his tribe to greet them.

"Your Highness, you've finally arrived!" he exclaimed rapidly in Ilocos, nearly overwhelming the interpreter beside him. "The Spanish have conscripted warriors from several more tribes loyal to them. Our men dare not approach to investigate, but their numbers are considerable. They arrived in Bana a day ago and are heading towards Snake Kiss Gorge. They should arrive as early as tomorrow afternoon!"

After the interpreter finished relaying the message, Zhu Jiheng frowned slightly but said nothing. He dismounted and signaled to the army to rest and eat in a concealed place.

He then followed Ma Kandong to the high ground on one side of the gorge, overlooking the entire pre-planned battlefield.

The terrain at the gorge was indeed complex. Although the cliffs on both sides were not extremely high, they were densely forested and entwined with vines. The road below the cliffs was only wide enough for three or four horses to ride side by side, winding through the rocks and bushes.

To the east, the unnamed river gleamed with a murky yellow light under the afternoon sun. The silt was clearly visible on the riverbank near the shore, and several water birds strolled on the shallows, leaving behind long, thin claw marks.

"The terrain is indeed treacherous," Zhu Jiheng nodded after careful observation, then looked at Ma Kandong and said:

"The enemy's reinforcements, though unexpected, were also reasonable. The Western barbarians wanted to bolster their strength and make up for their lack of troops, so it was inevitable that they would conscript vassal tribes along the way. But this only shows that they underestimated us—thinking that they could easily win by gathering more native auxiliary troops."

While the interpreter relayed the message, he looked at his adjutant and said calmly, "The plan remains unchanged, the ambush will proceed as scheduled. Although the enemy has reinforcements, the main force is still those six hundred or so Western barbarian soldiers. The fighting spirit, equipment, and obedience of the newly added indigenous auxiliary troops are all unknown, and they may even become a burden and a source of chaos in their formation."

"Your Highness is wise," the adjutant replied. "Most of the newly added indigenous auxiliary troops were forcibly conscripted and their loyalty is wavering. If they are ambushed suddenly, they are very likely to collapse and disrupt the main Western barbarian formation."

"That's exactly right." Zhu Jiheng pointed to the gorge entrance and said, "The primary targets of the line infantry and artillery are still the regular Western barbarian army, and only then the enemy's indigenous auxiliary troops. After the first round of artillery fire, the artillery will turn to fire on the densely packed areas of the indigenous auxiliary troops, in order to break the natives' will to resist and throw them into chaos."

Then, he looked at Macandon and continued, "The entire Ilock Allied Forces will be under your command. You can first select some of the most elite hunters to ambush in hidden places closer to the road, carrying crossbows and blowguns."

"Once the gunfire erupts and the enemy is thrown into disarray, we will specifically target and kill Spanish officers, standard-bearers, buglers, and gunners who are attempting to regroup. The majority of the force will proceed as planned, charging down from the mountain peaks at the sound of drums to divide and annihilate the enemy!"

"clear!"

The two readily agreed.

Immediately, the army orderly laid an ambush in Shewen Gorge according to orders, and four falcon cannons were deployed on the highest hilltop with the best firing field, which could directly cover the entire pre-planned battlefield.

To create even greater chaos, the Irok warriors, skilled in jungle warfare, spontaneously gathered a large number of stones and bound them together with readily available vines to form a giant ball.

As soon as the enemy enters the ambush zone, they will cut the vines and let the giant ball roll down the hillside, scattering the enemy ranks.

In the evening, the last group of reconnaissance hunters brought back more accurate information: the Spanish had completed their resupply in the pioneer town of Bana, and about three or four hundred new indigenous servants had joined the army, from nearby tribes that had long been dependent on the Spanish, and were poorly equipped.

The entire army marched at a slow pace, with a long formation. Spanish soldiers were mostly concentrated in the front and middle, while native servants, baggage train, and artillery were in the rear.

Perhaps due to underestimation, or perhaps because they did not believe that Lingayen's "rebels" would take the initiative to attack, the Spanish only sent a small number of scouts, and these scouts were not very diligent.

These reports relieved Zhu Jiheng even more, as the number of servants added was only three or four hundred, and the strength of the two armies was not much different.

The more threatening artillery was placed behind the garrison, which meant that as long as they bombarded the garrison and created chaos, the Spanish would not be able to deploy artillery to retaliate in a short time.

The advantage lies with me.

Next, all that's left is to wait for the Spanish army to walk right into their trap.