Start: Datang Wanli a lonely city

Chapter 1053: City destruction and rout

Time: 6pm on June 15th, when it will soon get dark.

Location: Pingchao City, in Xuanwu Gate, which is considered the most critical point in the entire defense line.

That’s right! In a small place like Chaodao, there is also a Xuanwu Gate.

To be more correct, they have always liked to imitate the political power and culture of the Central Plains. Many of the place names, buildings, and customs of the Central Plains can be found here.

Even a hundred years later, many grandsons still shamelessly claimed that all these cultural customs were their original creations, and even applied for cultural heritage internationally.

Of course, the above things.

None of the above is important to the battlefield that has reached a fever pitch at this moment.

The important thing is that just after wiping the cold rain on his face, Feng Jun, a member of the Beiyang Huai Army, led Zuo Baogui, and heard in his ears the words of his subordinates who were full of panic:

"Junmen, the little devils are rushing up again~"

The reason why there is the word 'again' is that since early this morning, the little devils have made all preparations to attack the city outside Pinghao City.

After scolding him, he said to the soldiers who were looking at him with sad and angry expressions:

"Brothers, this war is a national war, and we must fight to the end with determination.

"Yes, Your Excellency Shan County."

Under the cover of fierce volleys of artillery fire, the Japs with a huge advantage in strength launched an attack crazily; the last batch of Japs were the ones who fought down, but before the defenders could take a deep breath, the next batch of Japs charged in again. Come up.

After putting down the telescope, he immediately saw Naofumi, a brigade commander of the Fifth Division, and said: "If this attack still has no results, let the warriors retreat and continue the attack tomorrow."

After pulling up the cannon, it can directly bombard any place in the city.

When the time comes, I will make sure someone boils some broth to keep everyone warm. "

But after hearing that the 'little devil' was coming, he immediately cheered up and shouted:

"Brothers, get ready to fight and push those Gatling Cannons up to me~".

The reversal of the Pingchao battlefield all came from Ye Zhichao, Daqing's commander-in-chief on the Chaodao battlefield.

"Junmen, retreat?

Now after a day of fighting, the brothers have suffered heavy casualties, and they are worthy of the court and Lord Zhongtang. It's almost done now, can we leave some seeds for our Fengjun? "

With his face pale, Ye Zhichao kept muttering:

When Zuo Baogui, Nie Shicheng, Ma Yukun and other generals were fighting to the death with their men on the front line, Ye Zhichao was shouting at the city government office.

The number of troops they invested was at least three times that of Zuo Baogui's men here.

He also promised to give everyone promotions and rewards after the war, and the Qing Army did quite well.

In short, Zuo Guigui's judgment is correct under normal circumstances.

Counting the heavy rain, the little devils who had been attacking for more than ten hours were exhausted now; all the bullets they carried were almost exhausted.

Especially at the 'Bongqiaoli' position on the left wing, where the Qing Army built many forts first, the attacking Japs had no cover halfway and suffered a lot of damage from artillery fire.

With such an advantage of artillery fire, the little devil's attack became even more crazy.

Although he was a little reluctant, he knew that the warriors of the empire had tried their best today.

The war in front of us has taken an astonishing turn...

What Zuo Baogui said above is correct. Today's battle in Pingchao City was because Nie Shicheng, Ma Yukun and other military leaders on the left and right wings personally supervised the battle.

On the contrary, according to intelligence, the bullets, food, etc. in Pinghao City are enough for at least a month; if the war continues to consume, it will definitely be very detrimental to the island country.

There are even many warriors who have not eaten breakfast or lunch. They are fighting on an empty stomach and can no longer hold on physically.

When Zuo Guigui shouted, "Get ready to fight."

As long as we persist for a while, the little devils will surely retreat after dark when their strength is exhausted.

So far, Zuo Baogui's Fengjun brothers have suffered heavy casualties; even Zuo Baogui himself was shot in the left shoulder. After being soaked by the rain, his left hand can no longer use much strength.

In addition, before the war, Li Zhongtang finally delivered a large sum of money, which not only made up for everyone's salary arrears, but also granted them a month's salary.

With the addition of Ma Yukun, Goshiha took the lead in counterattacks from time to time.

Faced with such pleading, Zuo Baogui became furious:

"Shut up, if Zuo Guodong lets me hear such remarks again today, even if you are my nephew, I will chop you up on the spot today to enforce military law."

Among them, the Xuanwu Gate they guard is the core of the entire Pinghao defense line; it is also the most important direction for the little devils to attack.

Under such an order, one of his officers, who had the rank of third-grade guerrilla military attache and was Zuo Baogui's nephew, began to plead hard:

Then, Dangshan County Youpeng and other island country commanders basically gave up on today's attack, and were even more worried about the future war.

Regardless of the heavy rain that had been falling for the past few days, the attack was finally launched across the board.

Immediately seeing Naofumi, in the future war between the island country and Maozi, the Japanese who used hand-to-hand combat to defeat Maozi who was several times his own, thus becoming the most powerful general in the island country's army, had no choice but to agree.

Even though he knew that the army came lightly armed and did not carry much bullets and food.

After a night of fierce fighting, at eight or nine o'clock in the morning, the Peony Terrace outside the city fell into the hands of the little devils; this place is the highest point in the entire Pingchao City, and you can overlook the entire Pingchao City after going up there.

"I can't defend it anymore. I'm afraid I can't defend Pinghao City. I was possessed by ghosts that day and promised Li Zhongtang to come to this ghost place called Chaodao. I'm afraid I'm going to die here today."

So far, the Japs have suffered nearly a thousand casualties on this battlefield alone.

Besides, someone just came to report that on the battlefield on the south bank of the Datong River on the left and southwest of the city on the right, the friendly troops' positions remained unchanged, and many little Japs were killed, so they took some advantage.

This grandson was considered a strong general when he followed Liu Chuanming to suppress the Nian Army in the early years.

Frankly speaking, Zuo Baogui admitted that all the soldiers under his command were really fighting tooth and nail in this battle.

Just a few miles away from him, Shanxian Yougeng, who was also letting the rain wash over him, holding a telescope in his hand, sighed helplessly.

But after enjoying the glory and wealth for more than ten years and accumulating a fortune, he no longer had any ambitions and was extremely afraid of death.

Now, just because they lost the commanding heights of Peony Terrace and the other lines of defense were still tight, they actually wanted to run away.

Not long after, a cannonball hailed from Peony Terrace landed in the courtyard of the government office, killing several people on the spot. A huge explosion and screams reached his ears.

Ye Zhichao trembled all over, the last trace of courage in his heart completely disappeared at this moment, and he made up his mind to escape.

But before running away, he still remembered that in this day and age, his troops were his most valuable asset.

Immediately, he called a Goshiha and gave instructions quickly.

The general meaning is to let Sheng Jun's battalions evacuate secretly, and Zuo Guigui, Nie Shicheng and others will leave them alone for now, which can buy them more time to retreat.

It was also this guy's selfishness that led to a tragedy...

******

Twenty minutes later, Zuo Baogui, who was supervising the battle at Xuanwu Gate, suddenly heard a large and chaotic cry coming from Pinghao City behind him.

Looking back, he saw a soaked soldier staggering towards this side.

While running, he shouted in his mouth: "Zuo Junmen, Marshal Ye, no! It was Ye Zhichao, that bastard, who took Sheng Jun and ran away first without even saying hello~"

After hearing such a sentence, Zuo Baogui shouted out in the heavy rain, "Ye Zhichao, you are a thief, you will die a good death." His voice was full of endless sorrow and indignation.

Because he knew that Ye Zhichao's escape would inevitably lead to the complete collapse of the entire defense line.

The army retreated hastily with no morale at all. How many of them could escape? And if Daqing and Beiyang, the main armies, are also finished, who else can stop these little devils from marching towards Daqing?

Zuo Baogui's scolding finally stopped, and his nephew Zuo Guodong suggested again:

"Junmen, let's withdraw too~"

After hearing this, Zuo Baogui replied with grief and indignation: "Why retreat? The little Japanese have already bitten our army, and we can't retreat even if we want to.

Instead of being easily killed by the Japanese pursuers behind you on the way, it is better to fight to the death and hold on to buy others some time to escape.

They are all Paoze brothers. If we can escape more people, let more people escape. "

After hearing such a sentence, another battalion officer shouted out with a cry in his mouth: "Zuo Guodong, you take the military gate away. Don't worry, military gate, we will all be nailed here." "

Although the other soldiers did not speak during the conversation between the above officers, their actions of staying in place and firing continuously also showed their determination to fight to the death.

The above people have such a desperate performance.

It was entirely because as long as Zuo Baogui was alive, someone could help them get compensation from Li Zhongtang, and the family's children would have hope for their future.

Otherwise, if you die, you will really die in vain.

But Zuo Guogui shook his head. He had planned to die in battle today.

Another twenty minutes later, in the last glimmer of light on the horizon, Yamagata Aruba and Tachimi Naofumi, escorted by a large number of guards, walked into the dilapidated Xuanwu Gate as victors.

Here, the two of them stopped.

Because among the corpses of Fengjun all over the ground, Zuo Baogui, who had been shot several times in the chest and abdomen, was already dead.

But he still leaned against the wall on one side, refusing to fall down no matter what; his eyes glared forward, and his face still had the look of killing the enemy before death.

Facing Zuo Baogui's body, Shanxian Youpeng took off his hat, saluted, and muttered:

"There are still warriors among the young people, but unfortunately the existence of one or two warriors is not enough to change their destiny; a rotten existence like Da Qing is destined to be eliminated."

Then, Shanxian Youpeng and two others entered Pingchao City from Xuanwu Gate amid sparse gunfire.

I saw all kinds of debris strewn all over the ground, and even a lot of shoes that had escaped; groups of young soldiers who had no time to escape were being watched and squatting on the roadside with frightened faces.

Every soldier of the empire, although their faces were tired but excited, saluted Shanxian and others.

In some warehouses on the roadside, you can see a lot of ammunition, food and other supplies that originally belonged to the Qing Army without going in, but now they all belong to them.

After thinking of something, Shanxian Youpeng suddenly asked Tachimi Naofumi next to him:

"That's right! Has the Yuanshan detachment set off?"

Tachimi Naofumi replied with a smile: "Each soldier replenished two rice balls and a basic amount of ammunition and set off.

Colonel Yuanshan assured me that even if half of his men fled and died, they would definitely catch up with the fleeing troops of the Qing Army and completely block Daqing, the largest armed force. "

"Okay, allocate a brigade to eat immediately and rest for four hours; then chase them all the way along Yizhou Avenue. Don't let a single Qingjun go."

Shanxian Youpeng, who felt that he had reached the pinnacle of his life, made arrangements...

Chaos, complete chaos, this is Ye Zhichao's most real feeling right now.

Even he himself did not expect that his previous order to retreat would eventually lead to a huge disaster.

The Sheng army under his command was discovered by other armies just after they left the Seven Star Gate. Then, except for Zuo Baogui, the other armies immediately retreated.

Soon after, the organization of each battalion was in chaos.

The officer could not find the soldier, and the soldier had no intention of looking for the officer. Now he only ran along the road, wishing he could escape across the Yalu River in one breath and escape back to the northeast of Daqing.

Now, he himself doesn't know where he is.

The only thing that is known is that in the mountainous northern area of ​​​​Chaodao Island, there are abandoned luggage, carriages, and exhausted horses everywhere on both sides of the narrow mountain road.

Even the weapons and ammunition for self-defense were thrown away by their masters so that they could run faster.

One by one, the soldiers struggled to move forward on the muddy road.

Their eyes were as empty as those of dead people, and their faces were full of fear. Occasionally, if a gunshot rang out, their whole bodies would tremble.

Anyway, such a large army has been wasted for a long time.

But after seeing all of this, Ye Zhichao, who was guarded by Goshiha and rode hard on a horse, still had no regrets in his heart.

Because at least he is still alive now, and as long as he is alive, he can make a comeback.

As for how many people died in this battle, what is Daqing's future? What does it have to do with him?

But just as he was marching in the heavy rain, he kept telling himself that he was doing the right thing. The death of Zuo Baogui and others in the battle was entirely due to his own bad luck and he could not be blamed.

Suddenly, a burst of gunfire rang out from the front, followed by a large number of cries: "No, there are a lot of little devils blocking the way on the hill ahead~"

After hearing such bad news, Ye Zhichao swayed on his horse and almost fell off the horse.

Does God really want to kill Ye Zhichao?

When he came back to his senses, this guy burst out with his own ferocity in the desire to survive, and asked Captain Goshiha next to him:

"Xu Liang, how does Ye treat you on weekdays?

Today, Ye's life or death depends on whether you can find a way for the entire army to survive.

As long as you run away from the Japs in front of you, if you survive, Ye will guarantee you a future prosperity and wealth; if you die here, Ye's parents at home will provide for them until they die, and his wife and children will also be responsible to the end. "

After thinking that although Ye Zhichao was mean in daily life, he was indeed quite good to them, the captain Xu Liang gritted his teeth.

He turned to face the crowd of Goshhammen and shouted:

"Brothers, I have eaten, used and played with Marshal Ye countless times over the years; today is the time to serve Marshal Ye.

When a person dies, his eggs will reach the sky, and he will not die for tens of millions of years. "

After saying that, he took Goshiha, who originally had 200 people, but now there are still a hundred or so people left after running away, took out the short gun on his waist, or a waist knife and killed forward.

Ye Zhichao gritted his teeth and then followed.

As he walked, he made a loud promise to the ordinary soldiers: "Now recruit those who dare to fight and open a bloody path for the whole army.

No matter life or death after this battle. Each person will be given a reward of three hundred taels of silver, which will be cashed in immediately after I arrive in the Northeast.

Whoever is the first to rush forward will be rewarded with another two thousand taels of silver; even if he dies in battle, Ye will definitely be handed over to his family. "

Maybe there must be a brave man under the heavy reward, and maybe he knows that if he doesn't open a way to survive, he will die sooner or later.

Anyway, soon after, about 200 people joined the charging team. Unfortunately, many of these people threw away their weapons and could only pick up some wooden sticks.

In the end, a group of more than 300 people arrived at a hilltop of an unknown name a mile or two ahead.

After Captain Xu Liang of Geshiha roared, "Kill the Japanese", they stepped on the muddy water and rushed up the hill, which was only a few dozen meters high.

These warriors under Ye Zhichao's high hopes were the ones who launched the charge. The dense rifles on the hilltop opened fire.

Judging from the muzzle flash, there were probably hundreds of people up there.

In the blink of an eye, seventy or eighty of Ye Zhichao's men were defeated.

The remaining people who had gained a little courage under the heavy reward immediately disappeared, and they all slowed down their pace.

Only the captain of Goshiha, Xu Liang, brandished a revolver and continued to rush forward with a few confidants.

But seven or eight seconds later, Captain Goshiha and several others fell to the ground amid a burst of gunfire.

After a faint sentence of island Mandarin sounded, hundreds of little Japs with sharp bayonets emitted unexplained howls from their mouths, and rushed down from the hilltop like a flood.

An instant later, the more than two hundred people who survived turned around and ran away.

No matter how Ye Zhichao waved his sword and shouted, it was useless to drive them back to resist; someone even bumped his shoulder and knocked Ye Zhichao to the ground.

At this moment, Ye Zhichao finally regretted or despaired.

Because he thought that if he stayed in Pingchao City and fought to the death, he might be able to retain the last bit of dignity.

Also at the same time, on a mountaintop a few miles ahead, Hanjiang spat out a mouthful of rainwater with a sound of "Bah~".

Facing Yu Hanfeng beside him, he said softly: "Commander, it's time to take action."

At the foot of the mountain, there is a large open space; all the soldiers of the Second Cavalry Regiment in the open space have been gathering here for some time.

Under the heavy rain, the horses were carefully covered with raincloths.

But the cavalry soldiers stood there as still as a mountain, like a cavalry sword that had not been unsheathed, containing an implicit murderous aura that 'will see blood when the sword is drawn'...

(End of this chapter)