The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 305 Burning Fire
The moment Pala came out of the tunnel, he took a deep breath of fresh air, then shook his head, identified the direction of the Qi army camp, and rushed over with a dagger in hand.

As early as a day ago, he and more than 130 companions hid in a tunnel that had been dug in advance, waiting for the arrival of the Qi people. Then, taking advantage of their unpreparedness, they launched a swift attack and wiped out the Qi army that came to suppress them in one fell swoop.

Everyone knew that there was no chance of winning a head-on confrontation with the Qi people. Even if the enemy's numbers were far smaller than theirs, they would not be able to defeat them.

Only by using unexpected tactics, taking the enemy by surprise and launching a surprise attack can there be a chance of winning.

According to the elders in the tribe, the Maguindanao Sultanate to which they belonged had once been easily defeated on the battlefield by the Qi army, which had less than half its own number of soldiers with only thousands of brave warriors.

Relying on fierce artillery, continuous volleys of musketry, and bayonet charges, the Qi people defeated one kingdom or tribe after another on Mindanao, and then launched a bloody massacre against them.

The people of Qi took away our land, robbed our wealth, destroyed our kingdom (or tribe), turned us all into their slaves, and threw us into plantations and mines, where we died miserably amid endless abuse and exploitation.

The people of Qi are a bunch of evil heretics, they are devils, and they should all go to hell!

Before the uprising, Parra was a laborer at a nearby abaca plantation. He had to work hard for more than ten hours every day under the supervision of a supervisor. If he was lazy or slacked off, he would be scolded or even whipped by the supervisor. He had no free time at all.

On the plantations, these indigenous laborers had no time of their own and no freedom at all.

Turning the soil, plowing the land, applying fertilizer, digging ditches, cutting bananas, sorting, bundling... there is never-ending work to do.

The elders of the tribe said that in the past, they lived a carefree life, and as long as they had enough food, they could lie against a tree, enjoy the cool breeze, and dream about the beautiful days in heaven. At night, they looked up at the stars, played with their children, hugged their wives, and slept until they woke up naturally.

What a leisurely, comfortable and free time it is!
However, the arrival of Qi State changed everything. Except for those tribes that were still hidden deep in the mountains and could continue to live their "free and easy" traditional life, all the tribesmen within the territory of Qi State were forcibly conscripted as coolies and sent to work in plantations, mines, docks, and endless infrastructure construction sites, day after day.

The only benefit they gained from being enslaved by the Qi people was probably that they could have a full stomach every day, unlike decades ago when they had to go hungry one day and full the next (of course, they would also be hungry when they were punished).

However, they still yearn for freedom and a lazy and carefree life.

Finally, a month ago, more than a hundred indigenous laborers in an abaca plantation could no longer bear the oppression of the supervisors, so they rose up in resistance, killed all the Qi supervisors and armed guards, and burned down the estate.

Then, before the Qi people could react, they attacked a nearby plantation and rescued their people.

Parra was "liberated" after the second plantation was captured.

Just as everyone had looted all the supplies from the two abaca plantations and were preparing to flee into the mountains to avoid revenge and pursuit by the Qi people, the leader of the rebellion stopped their escape.

He said that they should take this opportunity to capture more plantations and even seize mountain pavilions in order to rescue more tribesmen who were enslaved by the Qi people.

They could even go a step further. After killing the Qi people, they called on all the tribes that were unwilling to endure the rule of the Qi people to unite and resolutely resist the Qi people until they were all driven out of Mindanao and re-established their own kingdom.

These empty talk failed to convince hundreds of tribesmen who were eager to escape. What a joke! How could such a motley crowd of them compete with the Qi people? As for completely defeating the Qi people, driving them out of Mindanao and establishing their own kingdom, that was nothing but a pipe dream.

However, when the leader of the rebellion finally said that as long as they could capture the nearby plantations and villages, and even seize the mountain pavilions, they could plunder the Qi people's property, kill their men, rape their women, and thus vent their hatred that had been pent up for decades, everyone was moved.

You have to know that the people of Qi were not omnipotent gods. When facing their counterattacks, they would also be afraid, beg for mercy, and be beheaded like animals.

More importantly, there were no Qi troops stationed in Shanting, and only a dozen police officers were used to maintain daily public order.

Now, they have captured two plantations, seized dozens of swords, and more than a dozen muskets. There are more than 400 people in total. In terms of armed strength, they are no weaker than the local Qi people.

Thus, a small-scale violent resistance on the plantation quickly turned into a massive armed riot. They dragged more people to destroy one plantation and mine after another. The number of people increased from hundreds to more than two thousand.

Afterwards, they captured the thinly defended mountain pavilion and trampled the once arrogant people of Qi under their feet. Men were beheaded, women were raped, and children were brutally killed.

After the news spread, tribesmen hiding in the mountains came to join the uprising, and the size of the uprising team expanded to more than 5,000 people, vying to participate in this grand "gathering." They looted everything, almost completely plundering Shanting Town and the surrounding plantations and mines, and even a broken bowl was not spared.

After consulting with several prestigious imams, the leader of the uprising immediately raised the banners of "expelling the Han people and restoring their homes" and "raising the holy war and re-promoting the holy religion", preparing to launch a massive armed uprising against Qi, liberate the land occupied by the Qi people, and establish his own kingdom.

Everyone knew that after this armed uprising broke out, it would inevitably be met with frenzied suppression by the people of Qi. One army after another would be sent in to eventually nip it in the bud.

In order to attract more tribal warriors to join the team and to arouse more tribesmen's awareness of resistance, the leader of the uprising believed that he must fight a battle with the Qi people and must win a big victory. Only in this way can he boost the morale of the troops and inspire and strengthen everyone's determination to resist.

So, after some disputes and discussions, the rebel troops prepared to launch an ambush at Shanting and wipe out the vanguard troops of Qi State that came to attack.

They dug several hidden tunnels under the ruined town of Shanting and selected more than 130 of the bravest soldiers to ambush in them in advance. When the main force launched a siege on the Qi people, they suddenly rushed out, attacked from both inside and outside, and thus annihilated the invading Qi army in one fell swoop.

Fortunately, the people of Qi did as they wished. The vanguard they sent out was not large in number, only over 300 people, driving more than ten horse-drawn carriages, and they came over in a swagger.

That night, the large army hidden in the mountains and forests launched a swift attack on the Qi army camp under the cover of darkness. The sound of cannons, gunshots, and shouts filled the air. The battle entered a white-hot stage from the very beginning, and countless lives were lost in an instant.

Pala, hiding in the tunnel, listened to the constant noise of the battlefield coming from the ground. In the endless darkness, he was on the verge of exploding. He wished he could get out immediately, wave the dagger in his hand, and chop hard at the Qi people to release the depression and...fear in his heart.

As several rumbling artillery sounds and shrill screams were heard from the ground, the leader of the team uttered a low voice.

"God grant us strength, Allah bless us!... Rush out and kill all the Qi people!"

The entrance of the tunnel was only thirty meters away from the Qi army's camp. After quickly getting out of it, they ran as fast as they could and rushed into the Qi army's formation in just a few breaths.

At this time, all the attention of the Qi people was on the east and south directions where the fighting was most intense, and there were only a dozen Qi soldiers on alert in the camp on the west side.

When more than a hundred soldiers crawled out of the tunnel and launched a swift attack, they were obviously dazed and even a little panicked. They shouted loudly and ran, and some of them seemed to be so scared that they lay on the ground.

"Kill!" Pala felt his blood rushing up rapidly at this moment, and he urgently wanted to stab his dagger into the body of the Qi man, and then let the bloody blood gush out and splash on his face and body.

The blood of the enemy will add endless courage and strength to yourself.

May God bless us!

"Huh?" Rushing forward, Pala was stopped by a barbed wire fence in front of him.

"Ah!" He swung his short knife violently, trying to cut the barbed wire in front of him. "Ka Ka..."

"Oh!……"

There was a teeth-grinding sound of metal clashing. The barbed wire that had been cut by the knife was very resilient and was not damaged at all. However, because he used too much force, Pala's hand holding the knife hit the barbs on the wire mesh hard, immediately leaving several bloody cuts on his hand, making him cry out in pain.

"Turn over! Turn over!"

"Musketeer fire!"

"Kill them!"

Seeing that a barbed wire fence blocked the attacking troops, the leader of the team became extremely anxious and urged the soldiers loudly to force their way over the fence.

The purpose of ambush in the tunnel is to catch the Qi people off guard. If they delay too long in front of the barbed wire and allow the Qi people to be prepared, wouldn't the stealth and suddenness of the attack be impossible?
In order to enhance their attack power, the chieftain also specially allocated them twenty muskets, hoping that they could disrupt the Qi army's defensive positions in the shortest time possible, break into the camp from the rear, engage in hand-to-hand combat, and use their numerical advantage to completely wipe out the Qi army.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

Twenty musketeers began to pour ammunition at the Qi people in the camp through the barbed wire. Several figures inside fell to the ground, obviously hit by their own side.

Pala gritted his teeth and just as he climbed over the barbed wire, he was pricked by the barbs on it and grimaced in pain.

Just as he was struggling to break free from the entanglement and restraint of the barbed wire, he suddenly felt someone slamming into him hard, causing his entire body to be immediately drawn into the barbed wire. Countless barbs pierced into his body, causing him excruciating pain.

Immediately afterwards, one after another his companions supported his body and quickly climbed over the barbed wire, then shouted and rushed towards the Qi people.

Oh my God, I am being used as a stepping stone!
Suddenly, countless pottery jars were thrown from the Qi army camp. Some hit the attacking natives, and some fell to the ground. After the pottery jars broke, streams of sticky liquid poured out from them, and it smelled a bit like kerosene.

Not a bomb!

The natives' tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and they immediately rushed towards the innermost barbed wire.

The natives who rushed forward saw that there were indeed few Qi soldiers defending them, and they couldn't help but reveal an expression of ecstasy.

Kill them. As long as we cross the last barbed wire, the Qi people inside will become our targets for slaughter!
Hey, what are the soldiers of Qi doing?
They had a hideous and cruel smile on their faces. They had no weapons in their hands, but instead grabbed torches and threw them over with all their strength.

"boom!……"

As the torch fell, huge flames instantly jumped up from the ground and quickly spread around.

Hot oil!
"what!……"

"help me!……"

The charging natives were instantly caught in a sea of ​​fire. They ran in all directions, constantly dodging the flames, beating out the flames on their bodies, looking for a safe place.

The most miserable were the natives who were doused with fuel oil. No matter how hard they tried, they could not put out the flames on their bodies. They could only wave their arms in vain and then fall to the ground in pain.

"The people of Qi are really... devils!" Pala, who was entangled in the barbed wire, dropped his hands dejectedly and hung his head heavily. The flames on his body emitted a light blue light, like a torch hanging on the barbed wire, and emitted a faint smell of barbecue.

The carefully planned raid by the natives came to an abrupt end with a fierce fire. More than half of the natives were devoured by the fire, and the rest fled in panic into the wilderness under the cover of night.

Seeing that the attack from the rear had failed, the natives who launched fierce attacks from the east and south also retreated like a tide, leaving behind corpses and scattered weapons all over the ground.

On a high slope, the leader of the native rebels, Murga, looked at the retreating troops, stunned, and did not say a word for a long time.

With a "clang" sound, Murga drew out a dagger and swung it fiercely at a man who looked like a Han Chinese next to him. When the blade was close to the neck, it stopped abruptly.

"Is this the strategy you offered to defeat the enemy?!"

"My lord, please spare my life!" The man with the Han face was so frightened that he trembled like a sieve and fell to his knees with a thud.

"Your Majesty, this strategy is based on the fact that my army has a numerical advantage, but I never expected that the king's army... Oh, no, no, no, the Qi army would actually have blocking ropes, blocking my front and back attacking troops outside the formation, and preventing them from successfully attacking the camp. This battle is not a mistake in my strategy, but... It is the Qi army's cunning and changeable, and advanced equipment. It is not my fault!"

"Since your plan is useless, what's the point of keeping you around?" Murga gritted his teeth and swung his knife to kill him.

"My lord, please spare me!... My lord, please spare me!" The man with the Han face had snot and tears streaming down his face. He curled up on the ground and kept backing away.

"Murga, please spare his life for now." An Imam of the True God Church stepped forward and hugged his arm. "We have finally found a Han Chinese who is willing to give us advice. We can't just kill him and abandon him."

"Well, tell me, what should we do next?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for not killing us. Next... Next, we have no choice but to leave at night, take the troops to the mountainous area, and then break them up into smaller units to preserve our limited strength, so that we can engage in a long-term battle with the Qi people..."

"In the end, we can only... escape?" Murga was stunned. "We have already fled to the mountains. How can we drive out the Han people and restore our homeland?"

"My king, if you want to accomplish great things, you must first... first make yourself useful, and then you can... slowly plan your actions."

"......?" Murga.

"Murga, he is right. We should retreat to the mountains first to avoid the encirclement of the Qi army. When the time is right, we will...come out and fight the Qi people again."

Murga turned his head and looked at several leaders and imams of the True God Church. Although they did not speak, their faces revealed a trace of fear of the Qi people. It was obvious that they were frightened by the powerful firepower displayed by the Qi people and the huge casualties on their own side, and dared not talk about attacking again.

"Then... let's retreat!" Murga turned his head and looked at the raging fire behind the Qi army camp in front of him, and said hatefully.

(End of this chapter)