Chapter 191: Battle of Pyongyang VIII
At six o'clock in the morning of September 15, 1894, after the second and third brigades of the Japanese Wonshan Detachment occupied the Jiangdong Qiaodian Heights, the Yuanshan Detachment quickly pulled all the artillery of the First Brigade of the Third Artillery Wing to the Jiangdong Qiaodian Heights. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info
Loaded with shrapnel and concentrated fire on the Qing army's western fort.
At this time, most of the unsuspecting Qing troops were blocking the Japanese troops on the breast wall of the circular position outside the heavy fort, and they were shot by the iron beads that were blown by the shrapnel bombs, and they retreated into the heavy fort one after another.
The 1st Brigade of the Japanese Army and the 2nd Brigade rushed along the heights of Dongqiaodian on the Jiangdong Bridge, taking the opportunity to rush to the periphery of the West Base, and shot at the Qing troops inside the heavy fort through the one-meter-high breastchest wall built by the mountain stone barrier.
Under the heavy losses, the Qing army in Xilei had no choice but to break through and retreat to Neixi Fort behind the left flank, and the Japanese army immediately occupied Xilei.
Then, the artillery of the Japanese Jiangdong Qiaodian artillery position began to be reloaded with solid shells, and the heavy artillery bombarded the heavy fort in the center of the inner west base.
At close range, under the continuous rounds of shells, the heavy fort was greatly damaged, and the Qing troops in the fort were miserable.
The frightened Qing army in Neisibao immediately abandoned their positions and fled one after another.
Part of it withdrew to the Peony Terrace, and some of it ran directly along the edge path of the side of the Peony Terrace to the Qing army position in the rear.
At 7:15, the Japanese army won the inner west base.
At the same time, under the fierce attack of the Shuoning detachment's close-range heavy artillery and heavy soldiers, the Zhou Zhongsheng and Ma Decao sentinels of the eastern fortress of Jingyan Mountain, when the breastwork of the eastern base was blown to pieces and the army was reduced by nearly half, had no choice but to retreat to Peony Terrace, preparing to defend it with the defenders of Peony Terrace.
Immediately, the isolated middle base began to face the combined shelling of the Wonsan detachment and the Shuoning detachment.
Before the Japanese coalition began to attack the base, the entire base position was in shambles, with stumps and broken arms everywhere, and a wail, like a field of evil ghosts.
And the guerrilla Yang Jiansheng was also smashed by a bouncing flying stone and broke his calf.
At 7:45 a.m., when the Japanese army stopped shelling and prepared to organize the coalition forces to attack the middle base, Yang Jiansheng had no choice but to abandon the base and retreat south to the Mudan Terrace Heights.
At this point, after nearly two and a half hours of Japanese attack, the first barrier of Pyongyang's northern defense line, the four fortresses on the heights of Jingyan Mountain, all fell.
As a result, the Japanese army opened the path to attack the Mudandae Heights in front of Pyongyang Fortress and the Jiziling Heights on the flanks.
Immediately, Major General Tachimi Naowen of the Shuoning Detachment and Masadasa Sato of the Wonsan Detachment met in the middle base, and Tachimi Naowen took over the command of the Wonsan Detachment, redeployed forces, and began the second phase of the attack on the Qing army on the northern front.
Immediately saw that Shangwen divided the coalition forces into four routes.
Ushijima Mufan Shaozo led the 3rd Brigade of the 18th Wing to attack the Qing army's Jiziling position from the flank of Mudantai.
After occupying the Jiziling, the Qing army continued to drive the defeated army in the direction of Xuanwumen, and finally established a blocking position between the rear wing of Mudandae and Xuanwumen to prevent the Qing army in Pyongyang from reinforcing the Mudandae Heights.
The second and third brigades of the 18th Wing of Sato Masadachi attacked the west flank of Peony Terrace.
Yamaguchi Keizo Shaoza led the 2nd Brigade of the 21st Infantry Wing to attack the Peony Taipei Mountain position from the front.
Tomita Harubi Shaozo led the 1st Brigade of the 12th Wing to attack the east flank of Peony Terrace from the bank of the Datong River.
So as to attack from three sides, there is no need to take the Peony Terrace Heights in one fell swoop.
At 8:15 a.m., the mountain artillery rearranged by the Shuoning Detachment of the 10th Brigade of the Japanese Army on the Dongli Heights roared, and the target was directly aimed at the Qing Army's Mudantai Heights.
Immediately, the artillery of the Wonshan Detachment of the Temporary Mixed Brigade of the 3rd Division of the Japanese Army on the Qiaodian Heights in Jiangdong also began to explode, bombarding the Qing army position in Jiziling on the flank of Muddantai.
Suddenly, the peony platform, the heights of Jiziling were full of wolf smoke.
An artillery piece on the position of the Peony Terrace Artillery Team was hit by a 70-mm solid bullet from the Japanese army, splashing out the sparks of the canopy, and the cannon screamed and rolled and suddenly jumped high, stirring up the defenseless Qing army on the side to a bloody rain of stumps and broken arms, and the wail was as terrible as the sky.
"Shoot them to death!"
Xu Yusheng, the commander of the infantry team in front of Jingbian, stood in front of the artillery position and shouted angrily.
"Boom, boom—"
The artillerymen of the Peony Artillery Corps endured the fear in their hearts, loaded and lit artillery in the continuous artillery fire, and fought back.
"Boom, boom—"
On the wall of the Xuanwu Gate of Pyongyang City behind the Peony Tower, a cloud of wolf smoke immediately rose, followed by a deafening roar.
The artillery of Xuanwumen also began to fire violently, bombarding the Japanese artillery positions behind the two wings of the Peony Tower.
"Attack!"
The commander of the 3rd Brigade of the 18th Wing of the Japanese Army, Ushijima Mubo Shaosa, roared and ordered his subordinates to first attack the Jiziling on the west flank of the Peony Terrace.
"Sons, if you're a gentleman, you'll beat these widows to death for me!"
Jiang Zikang hid by a bunker in the Jiziling position, which was full of solid Japanese bullets and large puffs of smoke and dust smashed by shrapnel shells.
He yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice trembling slightly, and his legs were sore for a while.
Jiang Zikang has been in the army for 35 years, fought the Taiping Army, and fought the twister, but he has never faced such a fierce artillery attack.
In the roar of artillery in the full position, Jiang Zikang's voice was completely drowned out by the artillery, and the soldiers under him were all trembling and hiding behind the bunker, not daring to show their heads.
However, the hastily built bunkers of the soldiers could not withstand the wrath of steel and gunpowder, during which soldiers were constantly blown up alive and scattered wreckage all over the ground.
"My lord, the artillery of the Japanese is too sharp, let's withdraw to the Seven Star Gate."
Pan Jinshan slipped over with a look of fear on his face.
"Bastard, you're not as good as Li Bohu!"
Jiang Zikang scolded: "I want to run away without firing a shot, you are shameless, I still want this face, old man!" ”
Pan Jinshan looked stunned and didn't dare to say anything more.
Xuanwu Gate Tower.
Zuo Guigui and Nie Guilin, the deputy general Yang Jianchun, stood on the city tower, and all three of them looked worried.
Now under the Changqing Gate on the bank of the Datong River, Sun Xianyin of the Sheng Army is fighting against the Japanese army who crossed the river to attack.
Ma Yukun's division and the third battalion of the Sheng army were fighting the Japanese army in the Jiangzuo boat bridge.
The main force of the 5th Division of the Japanese Army had already appeared on the ordinary riverside in the south of the city, so neither the Sheng Army nor the Luyu Defense Army could be easily mobilized.
Now in the entire north of the city, the Qixing Gate is only defended by a battalion of the Renzi Army, and the Xuanwu Gate on his side is only guarded by a battalion of the right battalion infantry team.
In addition to the half of the artillery team at Mudantai, the remaining 200 or so people were all lined up on the artillery positions on the city wall and bombarded the artillery positions of the Japanese army.
Then there were the seven hundred 'duck egg soldiers' who were demoralized, but Zuo Guigui looked at them one by one, like ground rats, hiding in the corner of the east city wall, and they were angry.
In other words, at this time, the entire city of Pyongyang had no troops to reinforce Mudodae and Jiziling.
"This is Ye Zhichao's bastard; If we don't put the two battalions of horses and the two battalions of infantry in Suzhou and Anzhou, and now these four battalions are pressed to Jiziling and Peony Terrace, this battle will be easy to fight! ”
Zuo Guiqi's eyes were furious, but he was helpless.
Nie Guilin and Yang Jianchun glanced at each other, and each saw the fear in each other's eyes; -- If the Japanese army occupies Mudodae and sets up its artillery on the top of the mountain, then the entire city of Pyongyang will be within the range of the Japanese artillery.
At that time, how will this battle be fought?