Raid on Li Valley

Scenario Outline

The Small Sword rebels, close associates of the TaiPing, but more bandit than idologue, are closing in on Shuixia. There are fears among the international community that the Small Swords won't recognize the neutrality of the Westerners, or worse, may try to provoke them into a fight. To try and keep things safe, an exclusion zone was declaired around the city for 25 miles. Within that limit, no Imperial or TaiPing camps would be allowed, and Sir Rand intended to enforce the limits.

To test the Westerner's resolve, however, the Small Swords have secretly been moving into the zone. Word of their movements has reached the settlement leadership. The center of their activities is a Li Valley farmhouse, thought to also be a Small Sword armoury. A force has been launched to take the farmhouse and show the Small Swords that the west means business.

Forces

A Report of the Action

The rivalry began even before they reached the Li Valley. It was a short march to get there from the army's encampment outside the city, and the men of the 60th were jovial enough with their Scottish fellows. But the Royal Scots seemed to have a contrary opinion of the 60th. Or more accurately, Ensign MacHyne didn't think too highly of Lieutenant Albacore, despite the fact that Albacore was his senior and in overall command of the patrol. It was one thing to be senior in camp and all, but for a young man of good standing and long family tradition, it was his duty to be superior.

"Quick march," MacHyne ordered his men. "C'mon laddies, let's show the Greenbacks how it's done."  None of the Scots was particularly enamoured with the idea of quick marching all the way to Li Valley, but someone had put MacHyne in charge, so off they went.

Of course, not to be outclassed, the Rifles had to respond in kind, giving something further for the men of the 60th to despise in Ensign MacHyne. And when that contest didn't provoke a clear winner, the two groups fell to rival regimental anthems, trying to outsing the other side. All of which mean that they were near exhaustion by the time they reached the valley, and the Chinese could hear them coming from two provinces away.  "At least", Sargeant Duff remarked, "they hadn't brought the piper."

The Rifles and Scots marched into the valley together, the Scots with colors flying of course. That was something the Rifles could not hope to compete with. In an act of insulance and distain, MacHyne moved his Scots forward to take the bridge, but Lieutenant Albacore insisted on his commander's privilage and took to the bridge first, standing at the head of his column himself!

As they crested the high arching bridge over the deep, quickly flowing stream, a band of rebels with swords burst from their hiding spot in the swamp. With shocking speed they charged the bridge and swarmed up their side to clash in the center. A second group of Small Swords, these ones with pikes, also rushed the bridge to support their comrades.

On the bridge the Rifles opened up, some on the side aiming their shots toward the approaching pikemen. Lieutenant Albacore and Sargeant Duff took shots at the swordsmen swarming up the steps toward them. There were no casualties, but the hail of lead was enough to give the rebels pause. In the farmhouse, however, the upper story windows erupted in flame and smoke as riflemen hidden there opened up on the British. There were no casulaties from the shooting, but it was clear this would not be an easy "showing of the colors" to clear off the rebels.

The Rifles kept to the bridge, while the Scots redeployed in open order on the river's edge to better put fire into the farmhouse. The Chinese pikemen, giving their shaken bretheren a break, took to the bridge, charging up try and dislodge the 60th. Albacore met their charge with fire from his pisol, trusty Sergeant Duff sending a rifle ball at them as well. Again the charge was broken, and the pikemen scampered down into cover at the base of the bridge, taking their single wounded man with them.

The Royal Scots meanwhile were exchanging fire with the rebels in the farmhouse. One plucky Chinese managed to pass a ball through one private's leg. The remainder of the Scots crashed a volley through the windows of the house, killing one and wounding two more.

Suddenly a volley of fire came from the Rifles' left. In the walled field beside the house, another band of musket-armed rebels sprang up and opened fire. One rifleman was wounded but the others hunkered closer behind the low wall on the bridge. Albacore was determined to keep to the bridge and force a passage to the other side. The rebels had different ideas, however, and the swordsmen charged up the bridge again, this time ignoring the fire of the green-uniformed westerners. Albacore met the sword wielding attackers with his own officer's sabre, sending one away wounded and more reeling back. Sargeant Duff was overcome, being forced back down the bridge, but was quickly replaced by a willing bayonet from behind, and the attack was repulsed. More fire from the house and field convinced Lieutenant Albacore that he and his men would be cut to pieces if they stayed where they were. Leading them back down the bridge, the rifles took position on the bank of the river, opposite the walled field.

As they did this the Scots were sending heavy fire against the farmhouse, finally putting paid to the rebels there. With all of the musketeers in the house killed or wounded, Ensign MacHyne pulled his men back to better cover the bridge, and to prepair to make his own assualt on the structure. There was no time, however, as the pikemen had built up their nerve and stormed forward. Over the bridge they charged, dodging fire from the redeployed Scots, and crashing into them with a savage cry. Pike and musket clanged together, and the Chinese were again repulsed, reeling back with one man killed and another wounded, along with a Scot taking a wound. Ensign MacHyne, too, had barely dodged the flashing steel of an intent attacker. The razor sharp blade had passed inches above his shako, and the encounter sent him stumbling backward in terror. Suddenly remember he'd left the tea on back at camp, MacHyne gave the order to retreat, and lead from the front as he and his men exited the Li valley.

On the further riverbank, the Rifles were still trading fire with the entrenched rebels in the field, slowly whittling down their numbers. They were as yet unaware of their comrades' hasty departure, and so were utterly surprised by the mass of swordsmen who stormed over the bridge and charged them from the rear! Whirling with sword in hand, Lieutenant Albacore cleft the first of his attackers in two, but was overwealmed and forced back. The swordsmen blazed through the ranks of Rifles, killing the man previously wounded, wounding two more and killing Sargeant Duff outright.

Seeing the backs of the retreating Scots, knowing the day was done, Lieutenant Albacore lead his men away after them. The emnity between the 60th and the Scots would continue for some time after, a rivalry which spawned several barrack-room brawls and much bad blood. After the encounter in the Li Valley, Ensign MacHyne sold his commission and returned to Scotland, taking up sheep farming, and dining out on the tale of his harrowing escape from enraged mob of Chinese rebels he'd 'routed'. Decades later, as an octagenerian, MacHyne blamed his limp on an old wound he'd "gotten in China, in the service of the late Queen". (he'd actually been bitten by and angry ram, but thought this sounded better)

Unfortunately for the Western population of Shuixia, this was not the most beneficial outcome.  The rebels, emboldened by their defeat of the Western soldiers, have now set their sights firmly on the whole of the city, not just the native portion that they may have been satisfied with previously.  The thought of warehouses full of western gold, silver and most importantly -- guns, has them ready to pounce on the town. After MacHyne and Albacore's reports, Sir Rand and the city leaders have turned to planning Shuixia's defence in earnest.

Game notes: This was one of those games where the Chinese could roll no wrong and the British could roll no right. When the Scots were rushed by the pikes and stood to close combat, they repulsed the attack quite handily except for the officer, who was pushed back. Then the next turn, when it came time to rally with a "roll anything but six" roll, of course they rolled a 6! Then came the 4 dice to reteat, and they were so close to the edge, it was *whisk* right off they went, with banners flying. And all they'd taken was two men wounded. And of course, the Small Swords are going to take this as proof that they're meant to defeat the Westerners too, so can a siege of the international settlement at Shuixia be far behind?

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Raid on Li Valley