On the night of August 23, Ruixing Mansion.

The sound of shouts and guns came one after another, and the small city of Fucheng had been beaten to pieces. The trenches that the army once guarded had long been in tatters, and there were corpses all over the place. There are officers and soldiers in black uniforms, and there are also Praetorian Guard officers and soldiers in yellow uniforms, even if they die in battle, the corpses of both sides are scuffled together, and some of the Praetorian Guard soldiers still maintain the posture of the last assassination, and the bayonet has been submerged into the corpse of the other party's devil, and the breath has been cut off, but the weight of the entire body is all used on the rifle, leaning on the gun and not falling, dignified as life.

The city wall also opened one gap after another, and on both sides of the city wall, there were bullet marks. In particular, the north gate, where the Praetorian Guards were mainly advancing, had lost the upper half of the city wall, and the bricks had collapsed to form a slope. The rammed earth layer inside was pitted, which was lifted off layer by layer by the powerful bullet of the Makqin machine gun! At the gate of the city, the two field guns, which had brought heavy damage to the officers and soldiers of the Praetorian Guard, fell to the side crookedly. The artillery was fired in all directions, and the corpses of the soldiers were stacked on top of each other. The army once carried out the most stubborn resistance here, and launched a counterattack against the breakthrough Praetorian Guards in a dense formation, but was intensively strafed by the machine guns that came up, turning this place into a large corpse pile, and the Praetorian Guard soldiers made a breakthrough on this corpse pile and broke through into Ruixing Mansion!

Now the city is full of fire, for the die-hard army who is still relying on the barricades to fight in the streets, the Praetorian Guard simply brought foreign oil and set it on fire, and the army could not withstand the fire to protrude the houses, so they were defeated by intensive firepower. Those who are hard to the end have become barbecued meat, and there is a smell of people being burned in the entire Ruixing Mansion now, and everything here is the scene of the final destruction of the Fifth Hiroshima Division, which is known as the foundation of the Imperial Army, one of the first six divisions established at the beginning of the establishment of this army!

All the way to the fire, all the way forward, the Praetorian Guard has broken through to the Ruixing Mansion Envoy Yamen, that is, the headquarters of the Fifth Division, where the headquarters of the commander of the First Army is located. In the end, more than 100 officers and soldiers who ran out of ammunition and food blocked the gate and fought the last trapped beast. Several battalions of the Praetorian Guard's Right Association have already met here, and all of them, from officers to soldiers, are red-eyed. Occasionally, sporadic bullets were fired inside, and the dying officers and soldiers did not know what they were howling, and they were terrified. Thousands of officers and soldiers surrounded this place, and when they reached this point, the officers leading the team did not want to command the troops to rush hard, hurt people's lives in vain, and use fire to light these dogs' sky lanterns!

Chen Jinping strode over with a rifle, and he later followed the troops to attack, but Ma Ben finally did not hold him down, so he had to attack and advance with the commander. It was also his order to burn those soldiers who were preparing for street battles with foreign oil. Until now, I am still a captive! It was said that the army had surrendered less, and the officers and soldiers of the Praetorian Guard were also red-eyed, and when they saw the devils rushing out of the fire, they didn't care whether they couldn't stand it and wanted to come out and surrender, but a burst of bullets flew over first and then asked.

He looked at the officers and soldiers under his command who were shouting noisily: "Is there any foreign oil?" Burn them dogs! "Some of the soldiers turned around and ran to the back, trying to carry the oil. Chen Jinping scolded loudly: "What are you arguing about? That's it? ”

An officer reported to him loudly: "My lord, this is the last headquarters of the devil!" We're finally here! ”

Chen Jinping glared at him: "Lao Tzu knows!" What a fuck, I'm dead, one battalion officer and two team officers! Lao Tzu wants to see what the two chiefs of this mountain and Yejin look like! ”

He reached out for his pocket watch, but it was a pile of parts, and he didn't know if it was a bullet or he broke it, Chen Jinping pulled his throat and asked, "What time is it?" ”

Another officer replied loudly: "My lord, it's past twelve o'clock!" ”

"Hey fuck, this little devil really dragged Lao Tzu to the twenty-fourth!" Chen Jinping looked at the ruined palace envoy yamen and muttered a curse. A gunshot rang out, a bullet hit his side, splashing a little smoke and dust, he didn't move, hundreds of guns were raised at the same time, and a salvo was fired for a while, causing the yamen to fight in chaos. A few soldiers who climbed on the wall and fired the last bullet fell down without a snort.

Chen Jinping stretched out his hand to call Ma Ben, took out a pen and paper from the leather satchel he was carrying, gritted his teeth and hurriedly waved the pen.

"At 0:3 a.m. on 24 August, the headquarters had already attacked the last stronghold of the army, and the remnants of the army were only more than 100, and they could be broken with a snap of a finger. The Right Association of the Praetorian Guard, after a preliminary investigation, five generals above the dead sentry officer were prepared, and nine were wounded. More than 300 soldiers were killed and more than 400 wounded. The Praetorian Guards fought in the first battle of the city, and there was no way to command it, and they still prayed for a heavy punishment......"

He gritted his teeth and looked at the yamen of the government envoy in front of him, which looked like a broken tomb under the light of the fire. Yue Jun didn't even shoot a single bullet, but from inside came the trembling and long miserable song of Yue himself. It seems to be a ballad like Wangxiang. Thinking of the exhaustion and death of the right association that he personally managed in the process of conquering Ruixing Mansion, Chen Jinping's face muscles twitched, and he continued to write heavily: "...... It is said that the people are stationed at the yamen of the government and the envoys, and they will fight stubbornly and stubbornly, and there will be no surrenderers, and they will be burned with fire to avoid injuring the soldiers. After a hundred battles, he was unable to capture the enemy chieftain and sacrifice it in front of the adults and horses, and the sin of his position can be described as profound! ”

After the last word was written, Chen Jinping threw his pen violently and shouted: "Raise the fire!" Burn the dog! Fight against Wang Shi, that's the end of it! ”

The officers and men of the Praetorian Guard, who had been gearing up, were waiting for the final execution of their co-ordinator, and when they heard this order, they all cheered, and all the scattered combustibles were dragged over, and the foreign oil was poured on it, and then it was ignited, and the soldiers lit torches one by one and threw them into it like meteors. In the blink of an eye, the palace envoy's yamen compound was already on fire, and under the orders of the officers, the soldiers all chose their battle positions, set up their rifles and waited, as long as the devil could not bear the burning and ran out, a burst of bullets would be poured over.

In the battle of Bacheng, the casualties have always been twice as high as those in the field. The Janissary Right Association suffered seven or eight hundred casualties, and almost one battalion was wiped out. Everyone struggled to survive in this part of North Korea together, marched together, ate and trained, and after more than a year, they had already become an inseparable group, and most of them were Datong villagers in the north, and they didn't feel it when they fought fiercely and broke the city, but now they watched the devil's last stronghold burn like a torch, and some people stared at the flames blankly, and couldn't help but whimper.

The fire grew bigger and bigger, and only the crackling sound of cracking was heard, and sometimes the roof burned through, and it collapsed with a thud, splashing the sky full of sparks. After cleaning up everywhere, more and more officers and soldiers gathered here, and everyone was covered in dust and blood, and they all gathered here. Although most of the soldiers were plain and couldn't make any sense, their hearts were so excited that they wanted to shout out.

It is the enemy in front of them, the whole army of more than 10,000 people, since the landing in Korea, the momentum is like a bamboo, Xiaya Mountain, fell to Hancheng, defeated the main force of the Huai army two or three times their size, chased the north for more than 1,000 miles, can be said to be indomitable. Even Zuo Guigui and other generals of the Qing Dynasty were lost in their hands, which was equivalent to a strong army that could destroy the human country. It is said that there are only six such armies in the entire book, and the whole Qing Dynasty has changed color, but now only the last bit of men and horses remains, along with their commanders, and there is a number of generals who are being burned and crushed!

Looking at the entire Qing Dynasty, in addition to their Praetorian Guard, there is also that strong army, can it do this? Apart from them, Lord Xu, who else can lead them to be the mainstay of this country?

The flames grew bigger and bigger, reaching the sky, turning the entire North Korean night sky red. He said that no one escaped, as if he was willing to let this fire tomb become their last graveyard. But in the eyes of the victors, they were not surprised by their own tenacity, but only felt their despair!

Chen Jinping raised his head to the sky: "Lord Deng, this little devil is not enough to give you an offering, you continue to wait!" ”

Xu Yifan and the others were also watching all this from a distance on the mountain, and all the staff officers under their command stood solemnly, under the fiery red sky, the outlines of everyone's faces flickered brightly and darkly, as serious as a statue. It stands on top of the mountains and rivers of North Korea.

Although the Praetorian Guard boasted that the Qing Dynasty was unrivaled and strong, it was the first time that such a large-scale regular war was also the first time, even if it was Chu Wanli, who had a hippie smile, he was not without apprehension in his heart, afraid that he would not be able to take advantage of this torrent, especially when the Qing army was defeated in all directions, and all of them were afraid on water and land!

But now this turbulent current that swept from the south of Korea to the north, and saw that it could approach the gate of the Great Qing Dynasty, smashed in front of their Praetorian Guards, and then under the continuous attacks of the Praetorian Guards, it finally collapsed in Ruixing Mansion!

Everyone's eyes unconsciously focused on Xu Yifan, this young man who was young and deviant in everything he did, sometimes he was a little immodest and had a bad taste, and he single-handedly created them!

Everyone looked at him excitedly, watching Xu Yifan slowly put down the binoculars and turned to them. Everyone couldn't help but hold their breath, waiting for Xu Yifan to make the most intense and high-spirited conclusion.

Xu Yifan was full of depression at this time, fuck, it seems that a living devil who is older than an official doesn't want to catch it. Chen Jinping, the remnants of the Zhiyuan number, are really his grandmother's black! If there are friends in Shanxian County who take the job, when the time comes, the newspapers and public opinion, and the streets and alleys will blow again, and he Xu Yifan will not be able to become Xu Wumu of the Qing Dynasty! The persecution of him, a loyal and virtuous person, is naturally Zhao Gou, Qin Hui, and the rotten ass of the dead eunuch......

He raised his eyes and saw that everyone was looking at him, their eyes were shining, and they were all infinitely affectionate, Xu Yifan glared and scolded: "What do you see?" Lao Tzu is not a rabbit! What should I do, after burning the devils here, I will drop my ass and run to the east! I still have to be busy, speaking of the front, next time who will start so black, I will not take him back to China, and swim back from here! ”

A few words of scolding made everyone unhappy, depressed, disbanded with a bang, and went to do their own work. Xu Yifan was still incomprehensible, and he was extremely unhappy with the scolding.

Koontz, who had been watching coldly, walked up in full clothes, and the German veteran saluted Xu Yifan solemnly: "Your Excellency, congratulations, in Europe, this is also a beautiful war of annihilation!" Your Excellency, the Korean strategy of this empire has been knocked out by you! You have won a valuable strategic initiative for your Motherland, at least in North Korea! ”

Xu Yifan smiled faintly, he had to be polite to this old consultant. The Janissaries had such a feat, and these German advisers had no merit and hard work. The Fifth Division was destroyed, and there was no movement on the Eastern Front for the time being, so there was no bad news. It will take a few days to transfer to the army by yourself, and it is estimated that there will be no problems in the next few days, right? At that time, Wonsan's little devil came up and hit the fuck again. It seems that the initiative on the Korean battlefield is in hand.

"Mr. Fleischer, I know, this is a great victory! But it's hard to talk about other things, you really don't know how good some people in our country are to break things......"

He groaned and stopped, the ugliness of the family should be less exposed...... He looked west, and the night was dark...... I'm fighting to the death here, and the Janissaries have suffered heavy casualties. You guys...... How much is it good to fight for some gas? Although the more incompetent you are, the smoother this path will be on your own, but emotionally, in the time of national war, you have to be a little more like, right?

On August 24, the fourth year of A.D., the Praetorian Guard smashed the Fifth Division of the Army and Ruixing Mansion, and the two sides attacked for nearly ten days. Only sporadic remnants of the 5th Division fled to Seoul, and of the 9,000 officers and men who went into battle, about 8,000 were killed, including Army General Yama Prefecture Aritomo, Division Commander Lieutenant General Nozu Michikani, and two Major General Brigade Commanders...... More than 300 people were captured, and only a few hundred escaped. The entire Fifth Division was cleanly and completely defeated by the Praetorian Guards!

The elite of the first town of the Praetorian Guard, almost all of them, fought in battle, killed more than 900 officers and soldiers, and wounded about 2,000. After the second town was disbanded and the two battalions were urgently replenished, the first town still basically maintained its combat strength, which was enough to continue the battle. In the plan of the General Staff Headquarters of the Praetorian Guard, on the 24th, it was planned to organize for one day, and on the 25th, the whole army turned to the eastern front, and it was expected that it would be able to reach the designated position on the 20th. The entire Korean war situation should already be under control!

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"Hmph...... Sure enough, it's still the Qing Dynasty that I know, and it's still the Beiyang I know......"

Yuan Shikai looked at a stack of newspapers and sneered a few words from time to time. Tang Shaoyi was reading a little business in the last batch, and when she heard Yuan Shikai's sneer, she couldn't help shaking her head.

After the war started, according to the division of labor arranged by Xu Yifan, Yuan Shikai was in charge of domestic and foreign intelligence, and exchanged letters and telegrams. Tang Shaoyi was directly responsible for mobilizing local Korean civilian forces and materials to support the Janissaries in combat. Both were based in Seoul, while Zhan Tianyou left North Korea to take control of the evacuated students and resources.

In Xu Yifan's opinion, Yuan Shikai is a little psychologically dark, and he also knows a little bit about power schemes, although the pattern is not very big. But at this time of intrigue, being in charge of the literature and telegrams and analyzing the pros and cons is a little more suitable than Tang Shaoyi. But Tang Shaoyi must also look at all the correspondence and telegrams, first, he can help get some ideas, and second, he also plays the role of monitoring and decentralization.

The Praetorian Guards fought the front line of the Fifth Division, winning step by step, and news from home continued to come.

On the 23rd, the army had landed in Dalian Bay! Then the army sorted out the system, transported materials, and advanced to Jinzhou.

The Dalian Bay landing was in the key place in southern Liaoning, and the two landing sites of the army were only more than 200 miles away from Jinzhou. After Jinzhou, to the south is Lushunkou, known as the first fortress in Asia. To the north, you can also go on Fuzhou Avenue and go straight to Mukden.

Bing Feng pointed to Mukden, which was the land of Longxing, and the Manchu Qing were psychologically shocked, which can be imagined, but this is also a matter of losing face. If you point directly to Lushun, after the fall there. The entire barrier of Bohai Bay has been thrown away! Relying on Lushun, the combined fleet and ship regiments of the army can go deep into the Haikou in the Bohai Bay unscrupulously, and the landing is the Zhili Plain! In order to rest assured, we can also go south on the waterway and land in the Weihai area, completely pulling out this general base of the Beiyang Naval Division.

All in all, Lushun fell, and the last bit of barrier in the Qing Dynasty was gone. In the entire Bohai Bay, it is said that I can come and go freely by waterway, and use Lushun as the anchorage point and support. And the Qing Dynasty only has to parry and defend at the same time!

If the battle comes to this point, it will already be an absolute disadvantage. Unless the Qing Dynasty is prepared to make a final resistance near the Jingshi and on the Zhili Plain, it will be destroyed. However, in the Second Opium War, the Manchu Emperor opened the mouth of the Bohai Sea, and after the British and French landed, they ran to Chengde in a puff of smoke. This time, don't expect to be strong.

In order to defend this Haikou, the Qing Dynasty worked hard to build the Beiyang Naval Division and established Lushun Weihai, a fortress base in the south and north that stuck in the mouth of the Bohai Bay. Now that the Beiyang Naval Division has been broken, even these barrier bases will not be protected!

As soon as these bases are in place, the army will not dare to go deep into the Bohai Bay. Otherwise, the long sea supply lines could be attacked at any time. Up and down in the Qing Dynasty, people with a little military common sense understand this.

Because of this, the shock of the landing of the army in Dalian Bay made the entire Qing Dynasty panic!

Telegraphs were sent one after another, demanding that Dalian Bay be held to the death, that the Shanglu army be broken, and that at the very least, the periphery of Lushun should also be held and the Jinzhou area should be secured.

The scope of the dispatch of troops involved seven general troops and 60 battalions of horse infantry officers and soldiers. Some are the defenders of Beiyang Lushun, and some are newly recruited battalion heads. Since the beginning of the Korean war, preparations have been made here, and no less than 30,000 troops have been gathered. The battle may be insufficient, and the defense is more than enough, right?

As a result, on the 24th, the army began to advance, and the Qing army, which was being deployed day by day, was immediately defeated! From the Yi Army, to the Fengtian training army, to the Gongwei Army, to the Jingbian training army. Throw away the armor and just retreat. It is said that the army will advance but Kosaki is full of mixed brigades, and thousands of defense training troops will be vulnerable! Some fled to Jinzhou, while others fled to Fuzhou Avenue and ran towards Mukden. The army advanced for dozens of miles, but there was no army to stop it. The commanders of the front line have sent telegrams back to complain, not to continue to transfer the army, not to let the Beiyang Naval Division attack the Yuren fleet, and not to talk about the defense of Lushun!

Some time ago, the imperial court was very proud, and was ready to see Li Hongzhang's jokes. At this time, they all panicked, and a series of telegrams were sent over, troops were drawn everywhere, and Li Hongzhang was strictly ordered to hold Lushun!

The government and the opposition are even more vocal about it, and the headquarters of the Praetorian Guard of Lord Xu are fighting in southern Liaoning! Korea is no more than a vassal state, and it can be restored by Xu Tu. The area around Bohai Bay is the key door of the Qing Dynasty!

Guangxu didn't care about it, so he sent a telegram to Xu Yifan, asking him to return quickly and lead the troops back to southern Liaoning, how many days? How to walk on the dry road and how to walk on the water road?

North Korea has become a swarm of bees. Many people hope that Xu Yifan can return to his teacher, like the hope of a great drought. No one cares, Xu Yifan is fighting hard with the Fifth Division, and there may be troops on the flank. How could he disengage and move to southern Liaoning with heavy supplies? It is already difficult for the brigade to pass through the waterway, and only some small steamers flying the flags of other countries occasionally come and go, and how many days will it take to reach southern Liaoning due to the drought, and will it be too late?

The Qing Dynasty's own main force was so fragile, and the war guidance of the Qing court was so chaotic, coupled with the fact that the local powerful faction Beiyang who fought the main force had its own thoughts. Clear-eyed people have long seen that something is wrong, and some people have already spoken out.

Beiyang is no longer to be trusted, only Lord Haidong Xu can save this danger!

Yuan Shikai and Tang Shaoyi glanced at each other, both smiling bitterly. Both of them came out of Beiyang, and they knew that this series of messages was not an exaggeration at all. Where Xu Yifan is, the situation can be held up. But Beiyang is fighting all the way and losing all the way!

Regarding the failure of his old club, Yuan Shikai's expression was not as heartbroken as Tang Shaoyi, and he sneered: "Beiyang is indeed not enough to worry about!" Who does the Qing Dynasty expect to guard the country in the future, and now I am only afraid of the Manchu Dynasty officials, so I have no choice, right? ”

Tang Shaoyi held the pen and smiled bitterly: "Our Lord Xu showed his face this time...... Although we compete with Beiyang, we don't want him to be so uncompetitive! This is a national war! If we lose, we Chinese have no face to suffer! ”

Yuan Shikai smiled disapprerovingly: "It's Beiyang who loses, and it's not our Lord Xu who loses!" Can this really destroy us? As long as it comes to the end, it's our Praetorian Guards standing! ”

Tang Shaoyi looked at Yuan Shikai, wanted to sneer, but didn't laugh, a little wanted to get angry, and didn't know who to shoot. Holding those frustrated telegrams, I only felt empty in my heart. I don't know why I want to cry.

Fortunately, I am in the Praetorian Guard and serve Xu Yifan...... If you are in Beiyang, you can only look at this shame!

"I only hope that my Praetorian Guard will win successive battles and save this danger...... Lord Xu has a way! ”

Yuan Shikai looked at Tang Shaoyi, his expression was indescribably serious: "Lord Xu is also a celestial person, and he must have a success." But what I'm worried about is that the more Lord Xu is the mainstay, the more people in the court will stumble on him! ”

Tang Shaoyi is also a smart person, how can he not know the meaning of Yuan Shikai's words, he thought about it, and shook his head hesitantly: "No...... Ping said that no matter how much trouble you make, that is your duty. Everyone has reached this point as officials, and it is time to step on each other. But now it's a national war...... Whether it is the imperial court or Beiyang, they will never make such a decision to destroy the Great Wall! ”

Yuan Shikai listened, just smiled faintly, noncommittal.

While the two were speechless, they heard a sound outside the door, and then the sound of riding boots. Another battalion officer directly under the cavalry target of the Praetorian Guard, Chen Bin, who was active on the Eastern Front, strode in.

The tall man has also changed his appearance now, and the sign of the horse thief is that his beard is cleanly shaved. The riding boots seemed to have been polished with oil, and if it hadn't been for the dust all the way, it was estimated that they would have been bright enough to shine on people. It's already the appearance of a Praetorian Guard officer...... It's no wonder that the appearance of the horse thief and the appearance of the Praetorian Guard officer carefully created by Xu Yifan are really far away, who said that the horse thief has no power to love beauty?

Chen Bin rushed in like a whirlwind, he and Yuan Shikai were old dealers, and Yuan Shikai was originally the director of the Intelligence Department of the Praetorian Guard Staff Headquarters. Tang Shaoyi didn't even look at it, he just saluted Yuan Shikai: "Lord Yuan! The devil has already landed Wonsan and is ready to advance westward! On the way back, I have already passed this information to Lord Nie, please report it to the General Staff Headquarters and Lord Xu as soon as possible! ”

Yuan Shikai stood up suddenly: "Coming?" ”

The Praetorian Guards were all ready, and the army would definitely attack from the east to the land. The only thing the Praetorian Guards couldn't understand was why the Fifth Division didn't wait for the Japanese troops from the east to arrive and attack first. Give the Praetorian Guards every chance to break through in vain. Everyone is also worried about these words, for fear that before the Fifth Division is broken, the devils from the east will come.

Yuan Shikai never dared to delay this information, and shouted loudly that Ma Ben would lead the horse over, and he would personally fly to the front line to report the situation!

Ma Ben was busy and rushed to answer the order, and Tang Shaoyi watched coldly from the side. The civil officials of their civil affairs system and the Praetorian Guards are well water and do not violate the river water, and no one cares about anyone, Xu Yifan set the rules. Yuan Shikai disposed of it, and he couldn't interject, so he only slandered in his heart: "If it weren't for Lord Xu's measurements, you would be able to have today?" ”

Yuan Shikai was anxiously packing up confidential documents and telegrams there, and a staff officer came in outside, and gave a military salute: "Lord Yuan, there is a man named Zhang Peilun outside, he changed to a small boat at the mouth of the Datong River and landed at night, and was captured by our sentry line, saying that there is a confidential military information report...... Bring it today, please tell me, what should I do? ”

Tang Shaoyi and Yuan Shikai's movements froze: "Zhang Peilun? Zhang Youqiao? ”

(To be continued)