138: Chapter 48 The Final Battle

March 15th, Longyan, Fujian Province.

This was the last organized stronghold of the southern rebels. About two thousand rebels were entrenched here, led by an old warlord named Chen Tianhua. He was in his fifties, with a fleshy face and a burly build, and had once been a brigade commander in the old army of the Qingxia Kingdom. He had followed Yuan Shikai in his early years, and after Yuan Shikai fell, he took his remnants and fled to Fujian Province, where he occupied the mountains and lived by looting. This man had read a few years of private school and knew a little literature, but at heart, he was a ruthless bandit. His methods were vicious, and none of his subordinates dared to disobey him.

After the southern rebellion broke out, Chen Tianhua was one of the most active responders. He not only contributed manpower and resources but also used his connections in the old army to contact a dozen groups of stragglers from Fujian Province, Guangdong Province, and Jiangxi Province. He gathered a force of over two thousand men, entrenched himself on a mountain outside Longyan, and built solid fortifications.

"Your Majesty, the latest photos from the Reconnaissance Balloon." Chen Zhiyuan placed a stack of photos on Li Ling's desk. The photos were wrapped in oil paper, and the paper was still a bit damp, clearly sent urgently from the front line.

Li Ling picked up the photos and looked at them carefully, one by one. The photos were very clear, and the layout of the rebel positions was unobstructed—three circular trenches were dug on the hillside, connected by communication trenches like a dense spider web; several concrete bunkers were built on the top of the mountain, with machine gun firing ports facing the foot of the mountain at tricky angles; a rugged mountain road wound up from the foot of the mountain, with bamboo spikes and caltrops buried on both sides, and a hidden bunker every few dozen meters. Even more troublesome was that there was an open area at the foot of the mountain, a full five hundred meters wide, without any cover. The attacking troops had to rush across this open area to approach the foot of the mountain.

"Interesting." Li Ling put down the photos and tapped his fingers on the desk. "This Chen Tianhua knows his stuff better than I imagined."

"Your Majesty, he is, after all, someone who has spent time in the Beiyang Army and learned the ways of the German instructors. Although the equipment is lacking, the fortifications are built quite well and are easy to defend but hard to attack. If we don't rely on air and artillery superiority, a frontal assault would cause heavy casualties."

"Then bomb them." Li Ling pointed at the photos. "Have the Air Force fly over first and bomb them, destroy those bunkers. Once the bunkers collapse, their firepower will be halved. Then the artillery will bombard, flattening half the trenches. Finally, the infantry will charge, a quick battle to decide the outcome, and give them no chance to breathe."

"Yes."

After the order was given, twelve aircraft of the Air Force, loaded with aerial bombs, took off from a nearby field airfield. The engines roared, the propellers spun, and the silver-white wings cut through the morning sky. When they flew over Longyan, the noon sun shone on the wings, glittering like a flock of giant silver-white birds sweeping across the horizon.

The rebel soldiers on the mountain heard the engine noise and looked up one after another. Some ran into the trenches in panic, not even bothering to grab their guns; some stood still in a daze, mouths agape, watching the growing silver-white shadows; others tried to shoot at the sky with rifles—but it was meaningless. The initial velocity of the rifle bullets could not reach that high, and even if they were lucky enough to hit, they could not penetrate the plane's skin. The bullets hitting the sky sounded like firecrackers, not even grazing the planes.

"Dive bombing!" The navigator gave the order, and the twelve aircraft dived simultaneously. The noses lowered, and the wings emitted a sharp whistling sound, like a flock of birds of prey diving for prey.

The bombs detached from the bellies of the planes and smashed toward the rebel bunkers and trenches with a sharp whistle. The violent explosions were deafening, orange-red fireballs soared into the sky, and thick smoke churned in the air like a giant black dragon. One bunker was hit directly, a large piece of the concrete roof was blown off, gravel and steel bars flew dozens of meters away, the machine gunner inside was blown to pieces on the spot, and the machine gun barrel was twisted and deformed, like a twisted iron rod. Another bunker was not hit directly, but the shockwave of the explosion cracked the walls, and several huge concrete chunks fell down, blocking the firing port tightly. The people inside couldn't get out, and those outside couldn't shoot in.

After three rounds of bombing, all the bunkers on the rebel mountaintop were destroyed or severely damaged. The trenches were half-filled, and there were craters everywhere. Mud and gravel were mixed with human remains, which was shocking. Someone's arm was hanging on the barbed wire, someone's leg was buried in the soil with only one boot exposed, and the air was filled with the smell of scorched flesh, thick and inseparable.

"Artillery, fire!" The ground commander put down his binoculars, his voice short and powerful over the radio.

Thirty-six 105mm howitzers opened fire simultaneously. The shells poured down on the rebel positions like a rainstorm, each shot kicking up a patch of mud and gravel, blowing those remaining fortifications to pieces. The roar of the artillery was continuous, shaking the gravel on the ground. A shell from one of the cannons even hit Chen Tianhua's command post directly—although the command post was on the back of the mountain, that location had been marked by scouts in advance, and the artillery coverage specifically took care of it. According to the soldiers who searched later, the roof of the command post was blown off, the tables and chairs inside were all shattered, and the walls were splattered with blood.

The rebels on the mountain were completely in chaos. The bombing and shelling lasted for nearly an hour, and their defensive line was already riddled with holes. Some soldiers hid in caves, shivering, hugging their heads and curling into balls; some ran around in the trenches like headless flies; others had already started throwing away their weapons, taking off their military uniforms, and mixing in with the common people in an attempt to muddle through.

"Charge!" Chief of Staff Zhang Wanshan gave the order, his voice exploding in the communication channel.

More than five thousand Tang Army soldiers, holding rifles, launched an assault on the mountaintop from three sides. Their movements were uniform, and they cooperated tacitly. Every tactical movement had been trained thousands of times—the Mortar paved the way in front, shells landing on the rebels' remaining fire points, blowing those machine gunners who were still resisting into panic; machine gunners provided fire suppression on the flanks, the "da-da-da" sound of gunfire was continuous, and the bullets wove a web of death, suppressing any rebels who tried to raise their heads to shoot.

The rebels on the mountain tried to organize resistance, but their morale had completely collapsed. Those soldiers who were dazed by the artillery fire could not lift their heads at all. When the Tang Army soldiers rushed into the first trench, they encountered almost no decent resistance. Many rebel soldiers even took the initiative to throw away their weapons, knelt on the ground with their hands on their heads, and shouted, "Surrender, surrender."

"Drop your weapons and you won't be killed!" The Tang Army soldiers shouted through loudspeakers, their voices echoing in the mountains.

"I surrender! Don't kill me!"

"Put down your weapons! Hands on your heads! Squat down! Come out one by one!"

In just two hours of fighting, the two thousand-plus rebels were completely annihilated—more than three hundred were killed, more than fifteen hundred were captured, and the rest fled into the deep mountains during the chaos. But those who fled didn't stay free for long; they were soon chased and wiped out by the Special Forces, hunted in the mountains like rabbits. Chen Tianhua himself was killed in the command post by the bombing. His body was found in a pile of rubble, already unrecognizable, with only the leather belt with the gold buckle around his waist still vaguely identifiable.

With this, the armed rebellions in the southern provinces were completely quelled.

Li Ling stood at the highest point of the Jinling city tower, overlooking the entire city. The spring breeze brushed his face, carrying the scent of flowers and earth. The Qinhuai River in the distance shimmered with golden light in the setting sun, like a flowing ribbon of silk. People came and went on the streets—porters, scholars, wealthy merchants, peddlers, all kinds of people weaving through, full of the hustle and bustle of life.

"Your Majesty, the latest battle report on the southern pacification." An adjutant walked quickly up the tower and handed over a document with both hands, the paper rustling in the wind. "All war zones have cleared the remaining enemies. A total of over three thousand rebels have been killed, over twenty thousand captured, and countless weapons and supplies seized. The southern provinces have been completely stabilized, local officials have all arrived, the people's mood is stable, and production and life are recovering. Houses and roads destroyed by the rebels are being repaired, and the granaries have been filled with grain again."

Li Ling took the battle report, read it through, and nodded: "Casualties?"

"Our side lost 523 men, and more than 1,200 were wounded. Most of the losses occurred during the initial surprise attacks; casualties dropped significantly in the later mopping-up battles. Among the fallen soldiers, more than three hundred sacrificed their lives in the initial skirmishes, and the number of fallen in the later mopping-up was less than two hundred."

"Double the pension for the fallen soldiers. Arrange the best treatment for the wounded, and give them priority access to Penicillin. In addition, if there are any common people displaced by the war locally, arrange for relief and resettlement immediately, and do not delay. Repairing houses, distributing grain, and medical care—none can be neglected."

"Yes!"

Li Ling handed the battle report to the adjutant and turned to look at the distant sky. The setting sun had sunk below the horizon, leaving only a streak of golden-red afterglow, staining half the sky red. A few birds returning to their nests flew overhead and disappeared into the distant woods.

"System." He muttered in his heart.

"Hmm?" The system's voice was calm and familiar.

"The South is pacified, and the North has long been in hand. National unification, it is truly completed."

"Congratulations, Host."

"Tell me, if the system determines that the dual task of 'Unification War + Anti-Intervention Operation' is completed, what reward will you give me?"

"The system does not have the authority to disclose. But the host can verify it personally."

Li Ling's mouth hooked into an arc: "Then let's verify it."

He turned around and strode down the city tower, walking toward the Imperial Palace. His boots stepped on the bluestone steps, making a steady and rhythmic sound.

The pacification of the southern rebellion marked the complete end of the greatest internal crisis since the founding of the Tang Country. From the Northeast to the Southwest, from the coast to the interior, hostile armed forces across the country were completely wiped out or incorporated.

— The remnants of the rebels in the Northeast were wiped out in a thunderous strike by the Special Forces, and the captured weapons and ammunition from Japan became ironclad evidence. Those documents were made public, and the international reputation of Japan plummeted.

— The resurgence in the South was quickly extinguished by multi-pronged attacks. The intervention funds from Meijian Country and the UK were cut off, their networks were uprooted, and the targeted military officer from Meijian Country, Ambassador Johnson, was speechless in the face of the evidence and was expelled.

— The remnants in the North surrendered one after another under political pressure and military deterrence. Local governance gradually got on the right track, and those warlords who had once occupied territories were either incorporated, exiled, or thrown into prison.

The nationwide military operation came to an end. Li Ling and the imperial court of the Tang Country could devote more energy to internal construction—developing the economy, improving people's livelihoods, promoting education, strengthening scientific research, consolidating national defense... Every field required huge amounts of effort, and every task was urgent.

Li Ling returned to the Imperial Study, pushed open the door, and saw Empress Su Wanqing sitting on a chair by the window, holding a book in her hand. The afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled on her profile, coating her entire person in a layer of soft, warm color. She was wearing a light cyan spring shirt today, her hair simply pinned behind her head, revealing her slender neck, appearing exceptionally gentle and graceful in the light and shadow.

"Back?" She looked up, smiled slightly, her eyes curving.

"Hmm." Li Ling walked over, sat down beside her, and leaned back on the back of the chair. "The South is pacified, and the country is unified."

Empress Su Wanqing put down the book and looked at him: "You don't look very happy."

Li Ling was silent for a moment, then said: "Happy, but I can't feel happy."

"Why?"

"Because too many people died." Li Ling leaned on the back of the chair, looking at the ceiling, his gaze somewhat unfocused. "The mopping-up in the Northeast, the pacification in the South... altogether several thousand brothers died. They could have been alive, could have gone home to farm, could have lived with their wives and children, but because of this war of unification, they died. Their families are still waiting for them to return."

Empress Su Wanqing held his hand without speaking. Her hand was warm and soft, conveying silent comfort.

"Empress Su Wanqing, tell me, am I too selfish? To unify the country, I let so many people die."

Empress Su Wanqing shook her head and looked into his eyes earnestly: "You are not selfish. You are doing what you must do. This country has been divided for over a hundred years, and the people have been oppressed by warlords and foreign powers for so long. If it is not unified, they will continue to suffer. You have given them a unified, powerful country, allowing them to live without fear. Those sacrificed brothers, their blood was not shed in vain."

Li Ling looked at her, his eyes somewhat moist. He held her hand back, their fingers interlaced.

"Thank you, Empress Su Wanqing."

"What are you thanking me for? I am telling the truth."

Li Ling smiled and held her hand tighter. Outside the window, night fell, and stars began to twinkle in the sky. That reconnaissance satellite was operating in space, overlooking this land that had returned to unity, like an eternal eye, watching everything in the human world.