On July 26, the 19th year of Guangxu, for the residents of Seoul, they were still in the midst of a metamorphosis for the rest of their lives.

In the midst of yesterday's rainstorm, lightning and thunder, the explosion that shook the whole city was the one that shook the whole city. For all kinds of forces who are fighting on national affairs, it is just a necessary means. But they may not even bother to think about it, the big explosion shook and collapsed all the buildings within a radius of more than 100 meters! The corpse of the person, like a doll, was thrown farther away by the air wave! People panicked, ran around, trampled on each other, but everywhere in the city, there were gunshots, and in every place, there were different people fighting each other!

Yesterday, the rain in the sky was all red. Inside and outside Seoul, the North Korean people lost their souls. The five military camps and police stations in Seoul were already like headless flies, and they no longer knew what to do when gunfire rang out at Gyeongbokgung Palace and the Monarch's Mansion in the courtyard. In the chaos, in addition to screaming and fleeing, there are more people who take advantage of the fire to rob! All kinds of atrocities are staged everywhere, and those battalion bastards of the five military camps scattered everywhere have also taken off their trumpets to participate in all kinds of atrocities!

In that instant, all order in Seoul collapsed. The thunder and lightning that constantly sounded in the sky made people in panic can't help but feel that the whole of Seoul and the whole of Korea will sink into the sea at this moment?

As night approached, order was slowly restored. The Enlightened Party members, who had successfully staged a coup d'état, went around to gather the soldiers of the old army of the Fifth Army Battalion, who had been dispersed, to calm the minds of the people and count the losses. The same is called to the whole of Seoul. The traitorous party headed by Dayuanjun has been punished by the heavens, and the party and government axe has been established! King Li and His Royal Highness Concubine Min are about to issue a great edict!

After all, many members of the Enlightenment Party are people who have been immersed in silver in the political axe organization, and they have some experience in government affairs and governance, and they are not beginners. The traditional basic method of restoring order is also skillful. The people were shocked to see the soldiers of the Fifth Army Battalion, who were still in chaos during the day, began to arrest the thugs who took advantage of the chaos to loot, and some of them were hacked to death with knives on the spot on the ruins. The lieutenant chief also began to count the losses in the book with trepidation, waiting for the Kaihua Party to agree, and there may be relief and bereavement benefits......

People huddled into their own houses, afraid to go out, watching the heavy rain outside finally get lighter. No one dared to talk about this coup. After a sudden violent chaos, most people don't care at all who came to power and where Daewon-kun, who has been ruling the whole of North Korea, died.

For the rest of their lives, what people are looking forward to is peace and order!

The short silence lasted for a negligible time, and this day, this night, seemed destined to immerse Seoul in a sea of blood! Not long after night fell, the streets were filled with piercing gunfire, sweeping the night sky of Seoul from far to near!

The streets resounded with the sound of neat leather boots and the sound of hard and short passwords. And rows and rows of gunfire!

Flames that had never been seen during the day rose in the night sky. In the firelight, the figure is longing. The cries erupted even louder, and the enlightened party members, who had just taken office, tried to restore order and try to understand what was going on. When they ran towards the fire with their men and horses, they were greeted by an overwhelming rain of bullets!

Even if an army that has undergone complete training in modernization begins to carry out sabotage, it is incomparable to the so-called "people with lofty ideals" of the Enlightenment Party. In the eyes of the residents of Seoul, they saw detachments of soldiers walking through the streets of Seoul. Their whole task seems to be to create chaos in Seoul, where there are corpses everywhere they pass, and flames rise everywhere they pass. Flames flowed through the city, with strong convection of hot air and strong winds on the fire. Mixed with the rain that still hasn't completely stopped, it falls with red and black raindrops!

The order in Seoul collapsed completely, and the five military camps completely collapsed, and they became refugees who had to flee themselves, or simply became thugs. When the Qing Dynasty stationed in Seoul near the Bong'en Office also lit a flame. The last bit of psychological support for the residents of Seoul was completely lost, and the whole city fell into hysterical frenzy.

You must know that Seoul has not experienced coups and chaos, but each time, it was their suzerainty that calmed it down and finally restored order in Seoul. But this symbol of the last arbiter and defender of the North Korean situation has already been plunged into a pool of fire and blood!

At the end of the night, except for Gyeongbokgung Palace and the office in Seoul, which were closely protected, the rest of the places were plunged into unprecedented chaos. Many residents didn't care about anything, so they fled out of the city.

I don't know what kind of madness they themselves have made North Koreans, and what kind of madness they have made Seoul into such a situation!

In the midst of the chaos, when the crowd was surging outside the city, there was an army, silently and tenaciously advancing in the direction of Seoul.

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"Chu Junmen, all the officers have been assembled!"

Zhang Xuzhou looked serious and stood in front of Chu Wanli side by side. This iron-clad man, after five days of running, he has lost a lot of weight. The contours of his face became deeper and deeper, as if he had been chopped out with a knife and axe. The lips are already broken, not because of the lack of water, but because of the fire.

The officers behind him also tried to stand up straight. All of them looked haggard and stoic. Everyone's military uniforms were dirty and smelly, and the military boots of several officers were torn, but standing in front of Chu Wanli, everyone did their best to clean up their military appearance.

Chu Wanli's appearance was not much better, and the stubble on his face was already very deep. The original gentle and pleasant smiling fox appearance has long disappeared. He turned his back to the officers who had gathered urgently, looked at Seoul from a distance with a telescope, and waved his hand backwards without looking back: "Sit down." ”

With a bang, the officers sat cross-legged in the muddy water. Some officers couldn't bend their legs, so they had to stretch them out.

Chu Wanli turned around and looked at the group of young officers under his command.

The officer group created by Xu Yifan himself is mainly composed of Beiyang cadets and trained intellectual youths in Nanyang. I'm afraid that the level of youth in the world can be counted. That kind of sharpness, that kind of fierce and light desire to make a contribution, and the passion to leave a name in history, is even rarer!

Looking at this group of young people, they had created a miracle of marching for five days and eight hundred miles, and they were so tired that they almost collapsed. But he still looked at his own expression with blazing eyes. Chu Wanli's eyes couldn't help but move, and he wanted to be emotional. But he held up the military hat and covered it up.

A mocking smile appeared on his face: "...... Seoul, it's really messed up...... North Korea's Donghak Party uprising, and Seoul is the same scene. We've come across a good place...... North Korea has become the center of the whirlpool! Some people probably thought that the Donghak Party riot had kept us in Pyongyang. Unexpectedly, we have already rushed to Seoul in one go! ”

The officers were silent. Chu Wanli's tone was light, but what was contained in his tone was confidence and domineering.

“…… The entire North Korea is 3,000 miles away, in the palm of our hand! Since we're here, this is our territory! Whoever wants to make trouble here will have to ask us if the Janissaries will agree! The Janissary flag has suppressed North Korea, and now, Seoul is waiting for our military might! ”

"I am willing to die for Lord Xu and the military gate!" There was a muffled echo and sound underneath.

Chu Wanli smiled and took a deep breath. In fact, he was so tired that he couldn't straighten his waist. But he knew that after five days of forced march, the Praetorian Guard's will to fight was still high, but the physical strength was already the end of the strong crossbow. If once they are given time to rest, then they will lie down completely. Not a day or two without recovery. Now we have to work hard to complete Xu Yifan's task of pacifying Seoul when his will has not yet declined.

This grinding, this miraculous long-range raid and the strong town of Seoul, will be the cry of the birth of an elite army.

The Qing Dynasty has never had such an army.

"The first battalion, equipped with machine guns, is under the control of Zhang Xuzhou of the whole battalion, and does not stop or rest along the way, and goes straight to Gyeongbokgung Palace! No matter what resistance they encounter, whether it is the North Koreans or themselves, they will all open the way with firepower and bayonets, and they will kill them! Your goal is to take control of Gyeongbokgung Palace and take King Li and Concubine Min into our hands!" Four machine guns, all for you. Got it? ”

"Yes!" Zhang Xuzhou agreed with a burst of applause. This man seems to have endless energy.

"The second battalion was scattered, the fifth team of the second battalion controlled the Seoul water and electricity telegraph room, the sixth team controlled the Chincha Xingyuan of the Bong'en Administration, the seventh team monitored the legation in Seoul, and the eighth team followed me. All resistance on the way is served by bullets and bayonets! All of them are only ordered by their immediate commander, or by any officer of the Praetorian Guard. Any orders from outsiders will not be accepted! ”

The officers who were named all responded one after another, and stood up one by one.

Chu Wanli's tone became colder and colder, and they didn't know the situation in Seoul. 1,200 people to control such a large city. Moreover, there may be a special envoy of the Qing Dynasty in the city, a minister of the Ming Dynasty, and a Korean political axe system, but they are here to control Seoul, and no one knows what kind of enemy they will encounter. Even if it was Chu Wanli, he was only figuring out a few words that Xu Yifan explained all the way.

“…… Resolutely enter Seoul! If there is already chaos in Seoul, then letting the chaotic people control the situation is the biggest threat to us. Now, North Korea can't afford to lose! As long as you can take Seoul, then I can deal with any situation! ”

Lord Xu, did you really take all the situations into account?

And what is the situation in Seoul, which is shrouded in fireworks?

Chu Wanli shook his head and put aside this messy thought. Since you choose to die for Xu Yifan, then finish the work in your hands. I believe that Xu Yifan will not disappoint these hard-working guys.

"The courage of the soldiers, our army, the history is too new. For the soldiers to rush forward when the time comes, only the officers take the lead! We were all taught by Master Xu, and we were born and died with him. If anyone cowers back, when the time comes, they will shout to rush me instead of follow me......" Chu Wanli smiled coldly and waved his hand vigorously: "Let's go!" ”

The officers roared, and everyone was given an adrenaline shot. Xu Yifan held them in the barracks for two days before letting them go. At least let this training class, the young officers who are the elite targets of the first in the town, have reached the peak of their will to fight!

Chu Wanli turned around and looked at Seoul in the smoke in the distance.

Decide on the capital of a country? It's tempting......

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On the streets of Seoul, a group of soldiers of the legation guard is patrolling. After a night of traveling, everyone's uniforms were already covered with blood and mud. The leader of the team was a second lieutenant, carrying a Western-style command knife.

Their task is to search for the whole city and arrest those officials of the Enlightenment Party who can still perform the functions of political axes, who have only been in office for a long time. Last night, almost every soldier fired four or five rows of bullets. Bayonets and boots were everywhere, and the residents of Seoul cried and ran away. All they did was to make Seoul chaotic. Let the coup d'état of the Enlightenment Party look more like a riot.

Last night, the army had taken full control of Gyeongbokgung Palace, and for the whole of Seoul, the army only sent a few small detachments to carry out armed patrols, not to restore order, but to expand the security area of Gyeongbokgung Palace and the legation. In order to prevent the remnants of the old party or the Kaihua party in North Korea, they tried to gather forces to counterattack Gyeongbokgung Palace and kidnap King Lee or Concubine Min. In addition, there are some special squads that control key places such as the Seoul water and electricity telegraph office. Every effort was made to ensure that the two days of Seoul passed smoothly until Park Yong-hyo produced an official proclamation to the Qing Dynasty and an official note to the invitation of the Hon-seong axe to quell the riots throughout Korea from north to south......

The most important thing is that King Lee also shows his full support for the decision of Minister Park Yong-hyo in these proclamations!

Of course, these soldiers and low-ranking officers did not know that the undercurrent was still raging in Gyeongbokgung Palace. They were just carrying out orders, but they had a spontaneous sense of sacredness in every patrolling soldier.

Since the enlightenment of the Meiji era, the army has finally taken the capital of another country into its hands!

The inhabitants of the nation's capital, under their boots and bayonets, either fled or bowed their heads. The entire Seoul trembled with the display of their power!

Ensign Ogura who led the team was from a family of Nagasu samurai, and he was walking up a pile of ruins with a reserved look, and he lowered his head and picked out a bamboo dragonfly from the ruins, pinched it on his hand and rubbed it slightly, and the bamboo dragonfly flew up flutteringly, crossing the street that had become charred and black. The soldiers stood beneath the rubble, watching their commander's actions with indifferent expressions.

These peasant children who had been trained to be machine-like soldiers could not understand the samurai sentiments in the minds of their commanders. Ensign Ogura, of course, didn't expect them to understand. He pursed his lips and smiled coldly, striding down the ruins. Suddenly, everyone's expressions moved, and across from them, the sound of neat military boots also sounded, and they were moving quickly in this direction!

Could it be that another patrol army team came to the patrol area they demarcated? Second Lieutenant Ogura pressed the command knife and hesitated and did not give the order for all the staff to be on alert. The soldiers looked nervous and quietly dispersed some of the formations. Secretly clenched the rifle in his hand.

The footsteps on the other side were heavy and powerful, and they were clearly much more numerous than them! They were only the size of a detachment, but a dozen or so guns!

Almost instantly, from the end of the narrow and curving street, groups of soldiers in yellow uniforms suddenly poured out, many of them bareheaded, rifles, gritting their teeth and insisting on running. In front of them, there were also several North Korean civilians dressed in white who were showing them the way.

The two teams were facing each other, and everyone was stunned. The troops coming from the opposite side saw these black-clothed soldiers, as well as the identification flags hanging on the rifles and bayonets in their hands, and they also saw the braids dragged by this army!

"Little book!"

"Qing Guonu!"

Second Lieutenant Ogura's face distorted instantly, and the sentry officer Lu Yaozhong opposite him also widened his eyes. The two men drew their knives at the same time.

"Shoot!"

"Fire!"

I have to say that the guards of the Legation reacted a little faster, and more than 20 Murata-style rifles subconsciously fired in unison. The soldiers in the front row of the Praetorian Guard, as if they had been pushed hard, fell down a few in an uproar. Even Lu Yaozhong was hit in the shoulder, and he dodged to the side. The Praetorian Guard soldiers behind reacted, raised their rifles and immediately began firing at them.

Murata of six or five calibers versus Mauser of seven or nine calibers, and in the blink of an eye, the street was filled with white smoke. In such a sudden encounter, neither side thought of concealing with the help of terrain and features, and subconsciously counted on overwhelming each other with firepower!

The whole scene is like the two armies shooting at each other in a circle in the era of smoothbore guns. The distance is tens of meters closer than the war in the era of smoothbore guns, almost face-to-face!

In the shooting, in the formations of both sides, there were people who kept humming and falling. The advantage of the army lasted less than half a minute, and more rifles on the opposite side joined the fire, and the Praetorian Guards were ordered to attack Gyeongbokgung Palace in a unit. In terms of numbers, it is far more than these patrol detachments of the Chinese army scattered in Seoul.

Second Lieutenant Ogura was in a cloud of white smoke that obscured his vision, and bullets whizzed past his ears. He stood as stiff as a piece of wood. I didn't get hit, but I felt that the gunshots on my side were getting rarer. Only then did he react, and one fell down on the ground, tearing open his voice and shouting: "Disperse!" Disperse! Take cover! ”

But the only thing that answered his shouts was the increasingly dense gunfire from the opposite side. In the smoke of gunpowder, I saw rows of muzzle flames flickering. Ogura curled up and threw away his command knife. There was only one thought left in my mind, when would the bullet hit me?

The frantic volley from the opposite side lasted for several minutes before it was stopped by the Praetorian Guard officers who reacted. The smoke cleared, and the ground was full of corpses. It was said that the detachment was either killed or wounded, and few of the Praetorian Guard soldiers who rushed to the front survived. The team behind kept pouring up, and the team officer Jiang Feng was still shouting: "Lu Yaozhong! Lu Heipi? ”

Lu Yaozhong, who had been cowering on the side of the street during the shooting just now, pressed his shoulder and jumped up: "Officer Jiang, I'm here!" ”

Jiang Feng was sweating profusely: "What the hell is going on?" ”

Lu Yaozhong also stomped his feet: "Say myself!" It's my army! Jiang Feng slapped his face fiercely: "No wonder those North Korean people look at us like looking at saviors, it turns out that I am making trouble here in Seoul!" Lord Xu's divine calculation! Send our Flying Soldiers to Seoul! Brother, this is a national war! ”

After receiving the order, their detachments marched into Seoul and marched towards their assigned goals. Along the way, I met a steady stream of ordinary people who fled from Seoul. These people watched their pigtailed soldiers arrive as if they had seen a savior. Kneel down and kowtow. The level of Korean of ordinary officers and soldiers of the Praetorian Guard is probably the level of the former and the latter and the smecta. I couldn't tell them what was going on and who was causing the chaos in Seoul. When he was in a hurry, he shouted a few words: "Gyeongbokgung Palace!" Gyeongbokgung Palace! ”

Unexpectedly, the people actually understood, and a few bold people rushed towards Gyeongbokgung Palace with them. When I entered the downtown area of Seoul, I saw a tragic situation after the riots. Every soldier of the Praetorian Guard admired that Lord Xu actually expected that there would be a riot in Seoul in Pyongyang, and sent their elite to stabilize the situation! In these five days, I didn't rush in vain!

At this time, they ran into the patrol detachment of the Japanese army, and they also fought hard. It's even more clear, it's a fucking little devil who wants to take advantage of the chaos to seize the vassal North Korea of the Qing Dynasty! This must be put in place, the Praetorian Guard is not dead yet!

Jiang Feng took off his hat and ordered loudly: "Clean up the dead and wounded, send someone to report to Chu Junmen, it is said that I am making trouble, and the rest, continue to move forward and knock down Gyeongbokgung Palace!" ”

As he was talking, he saw an officer jumping up from the ruins opposite, with no blood stains on his body, his face was blackened by the gunpowder just now, and he waved his saber and let out a heart-rending roar, and rushed over in great stride!

He was greeted by a rain of bullets, and the Praetorian Guards saw blood for the first time. The reaction was also quicker. Dozens of bullets rushed over, and the officer was immediately knocked around several times and fell heavily.

Jiang Feng spat fiercely: "You deserve it!" ”

(To be continued)