Niuzhuang and Dashanyan are inspecting the trenches built by the Qing army.

It was originally thought that on this endless plain, the Qing army, which had been routed all the way, would be defeated by the Empire's long-trained samurai with a single charge. However, the truth is brutal. The Qing army dug ditches all over this plain, and the winding trenches were spread all over the front and back of the cattle farm. The Qing army only needed to hide in the trenches to protect themselves well, but it dealt a major blow to the imperial warriors who were charging without protection on the plains. It was such a simple trench that the death of the little-known town of Niuzhuang dragged down the progress of the empire.

Although the battle of Niuzhuang was won, it was very clear in the heart of Dashan Rock that the advance of the emperor's [***] team was extremely difficult under the advantage of artillery fire and local troops. Every position had to go through a bloody battle to capture, especially Liu Shengxiu's final Jedi counterattack, which allowed him to break through the imperial defense with nearly a thousand people, and finally failed to annihilate all the Qing army. Liu Shengxiu's counterattack deeply shook Dashanyan's heart. What is it that inspires such tenacious combat effectiveness of the Qing [***] team. Is it because the Qing Emperor cut off his braids?

Dashanyan involuntarily looked back at the courtyard he had just passed. There were the remains of eight Qing soldiers who had been surrounded by the empire in that small courtyard as they retreated. As a result of their non-surrender, seventeen Imperial warriors fell around the small courtyard.

"What about the casualties in the various departments?" Da Shanyan suddenly asked the staff officer of the army behind him.

"Your Excellency Commander, the 3rd and 5th Divisions and Nogi Noshinori Brigade suffered heavy casualties in this battle, and the preliminary estimate is that the casualties should be around 6,000 ......," replied the staff officer of the army.

6000 people! The First Army of Zhengqing attacked from Asan to Haicheng, and the total casualties were less than 1,000. In addition, the 3,000 casualties caused by the counterattack against the Qing army in Haicheng, as well as the losses of Liujiahe and Majiagou. For a whole year, the strength of the division was lost. This made the officers of the military who were present couldn't help but gasp. Nozu described the details of his meeting with the Qing Emperor to the officers of the Yue army present, and when he said that the Qing Emperor personally broke off the army, an indescribable heaviness permeated everyone's hearts.

"I really want to ask the emperor of the Qing Kingdom. How did he manage to make the Qing army, which had retreated all the way, suddenly become unable to even surrender. Dashan Yan sighed deeply. Since Haicheng, there has not been a single surrendered Qing soldier.

"Your Excellency, General. It is necessary to capture Tianzhuangtai as soon as possible and capture the Qing emperor. Make an offensive posture to enter the Liaoxi Corridor that forced the Qing State, and forced the Qing State to the negotiating table. Now that the long and harsh winter has arrived, the situation of the Emperor [***] team will be even more difficult. "After seeing the tough and powerful Guangxu, Nozu Michikan was deeply worried about the future of the empire.

"It was reported that the 1st Division had fully occupied Yingkou. The Qing army in the direction of Yingkou set up a defensive position on the other side of the Liao River. A staff officer stepped forward and reported: "His Excellency Enji Yamachi, commander of the 1st Division, asks when the attack will be launched?" ”

Dashan Yan thought for a while and said, "Let's let the first division repair on the spot first." Wait for all the departments of Niuzhuang to attack together. ”

"Report to Your Excellency Commander, Yamashita Shaozo, who is stationed in Xiuyan, reports that for three consecutive days, the logistics and transportation units sent by our army in the direction of Haicheng have all been attacked by horse bandits in the Gushan and Xiuyan areas. All the logistical supplies were destroyed by the horse bandits, and all the soldiers responsible for protecting the logistics and transport team were broken ......into pieces," the staff officer of the army who came to report angrily reported: "The horse bandits cut off the heads of the imperial warriors and placed them on the side of the road. Yamashita Shaosa hoped that His Excellency the Commander would be able to send a large battalion of cavalry to ensure the smooth flow of logistics and transportation. ”

"Baga, these damned horse bandits are just as hateful as the North Koreans. Go and destroy them immediately. Dashanyan was furious, because the Imperial Combined Fleet had temporarily lost its responsibility to protect the shipping lanes after it was attacked by the Qing people in Lushun. For a long time, the First and Second Armies could only receive supplies from Korea. The hateful Koreans, on the other hand, attacked the soldiers of the Reich at every turn, and the Reich could only send more troops to maintain law and order in Korea. This directly led to the fact that the formation of the Seventh Division of the Reich has not been completed to this day. And in the Qing Kingdom, there were more ferocious horse bandits, **naked provocative emperor [***] team.

Report. The Fourth Division reported that it had encountered a Qing horse bandit twenty-two miles south of Jeonju...... "The staff officer was interrupted by Dashan Yan before he could finish speaking.

"Baga, why are you a horse bandit again. What else does the report say? ”

"The report says that this is a very strong horse bandit, more than 5,000 people, and they are also armed with a large number of repeating rifles, absolute outlaws. According to the confession of the captive, this is the man and horse of the king of Gushan Liang. It is suspected that it was disguised by the main force of the Qing army. Fortunately, they have been repulsed...... "Hearing that the commander of the army who was present here sighed, the logistics materials in Phoenix City could not be delivered, but they could count on this fourth division. But the next sentence of the staff officer knocked them into the abyss: "Although the heroic Fourth Division completely defeated the invading horse bandits, all the logistics and materials were seriously damaged. At present, the remaining supplies are not enough to support the advance of the 4th Division, so the 4th Division will be on standby throughout the state. ”

"Baga, this can't be the Qing army at all, they are the horse bandits of the lonely mountain. When did the Qing Kingdom become full of horse bandits? "Dashan Yan is angry.

"Report ......" Before Dashan Yan and other officers could react, another report came.

"Baga, where are the horse bandits?"

The staff officer didn't know what was going on, so he could only carefully reply: "There are no horse bandits here." This was a telegram from the base camp, asking the Qing Ministries to ensure the safety of the Qing Emperor. To avoid the Western powers from intervening under this pretext. ”

"Baga, no one can guarantee absolute safety on the battlefield. If the Emperor [***] team could not achieve victory, even if the Western powers did not interfere, what was the point for the Empire? When did the base camp become constrained because of the emperor of the Qing Kingdom. There are no eyes on the battlefield, and since the emperor of the Qing State has personal actions, he should have the consciousness of dying in battle. Da Shanyan let out an angry anger like a boulder explosion, which made all the officers of the army present a little frightened: "We can only try our best to avoid harming the emperor, but we can't guarantee anything." ”

Nozu Michikani stepped forward and persuaded: "Your Excellency, General, we must make a sure guarantee. Have you forgotten the curse of the Son of Heaven promised by the Qing Emperor on the Tianzhuang Terrace? If the emperor of the Qing State died in battle, then it was impossible for the Qing State to surrender anyway. This is the greatest danger to the Empire. ”

When Niu Zhuang was still worried about the horse bandits everywhere and the telegrams from the base camp, Liang Huadian, who was far away in Liaodong, was also troubled, because he left all his money on the damn lonely mountain before going out.

In order to quietly attack Lushun, Liang Huadian took his reading group of more than 2,000 people to insert it from the mountain path to the south. Just after Jeonju, the reconnaissance unit in front of it this morning reported that a unit of about 600 men was marching toward Jeonju early this morning under the banner of the headquarters of the Fourth Division. Judging from the vehicles carried, it was supposed to be a batch of supplies. The Reading Force, who had not eaten properly, immediately started the idea of this unit. Anyway, it is almost to Dalian, and if the headquarters of the Fourth Division can be defeated, it will be very beneficial to attack Lushun. Besides, 2,000 people went to ambush 600 people, and they were sure that they would be completely annihilated without revealing the news. If you decide that you want to fight, then arrange it. The 1st and 2nd Battalions set up two ambush lines in front, and Liang Huadian personally led the 3rd Battalion to outflank them from the rear. Make sure you don't miss a single army.

But Liang Huadian underestimated the speed of his march, and the headquarters of the Fourth Division began to rest before noon. As a result, the men and horses who were supposed to set up an ambush did not wait for the enemy, but instead collided head-on with Liang Huadian, who had copied the back road, and the Yue army. Since it is a way back, naturally don't hide your actions. As a result, at a turn twenty-two miles south of Jeonju, everyone was now in a situation where they were shouting at gunpoint and shouting at gunpoint less than 200 meters from undefended positions.

The commander of the Fourth Division, Kurokawa, was furious: How could there be such a fierce horse bandit in this absolute rear. What do the troops at the front eat.

Liang Huadian, the head of the Reading Force of the Great Fresh Army, was furious: How can there be troops who camp at the turn of the road without even sending sentries. It's only ten o'clock in the morning.

There were 600 people in the headquarters of the 4th Division and 600 people in the 3rd Battalion of the Reading Regiment, and no one dared to fire the first shot. As a result, the Kurokawa rail track was damaged. He came to the front of the formation, asked the interpreter to tell the other party, and asked the highest commander of the other party to come out and speak.

"In the next day, the commander of the Fourth Division, Kurokawa is on the rails, may I ask which heroic man is on the other side?"

"Below is King Liang, who is known as the Black Whirlwind of the Lonely Mountain."

"I know you, this is the territory occupied by the Great Empire, and you are not afraid that I will recruit troops to encircle and suppress you." Kurokawa was not afraid when he saw that the other party was similar to himself.

"Tell you, we're horse bandits. But we are also horse bandits of the Great Qing Kingdom. It was also the territory of the Great Qing Dynasty. I advise you to dare to go back quickly, lest you die without a place to be buried. Liang Huadian didn't know if he could drag the troops in front to rush over.

"You don't do your horse bandits in the lonely mountain, what are you doing here?"

Do? It can't be said that they came to attack Lushun. Liang Huadian opened his mouth and came: "There is a war going on in the north, and business is not good, so I am going to come here to take a look." There is no business to do. ”

"You're here to do business, great." Kurokawa happily asked his subordinates to put down their guns: "Please don't get me wrong, we're not here to fight." We are here to do business. ”

"Doing business? What happened to the Lushun tragedy? Liang Huadian said angrily.

didn't expect Kurokawa to be angrier than him: "It's all that damn Nogi Noshinori, he made us not even find the Qing people who were doing business." ”

“……”

“……”

After a conversation, everyone put down their guns, and Kurokawa and Liang Huadian were in the tent that was temporarily erected, and the opposite one sat down to talk about business. And Liang Huadian finally figured out that the Fourth Division was composed of all merchants from Osaka, and their interest in doing business was far higher than their interest in fighting. On this expedition to the Qing Kingdom, in addition to bringing guns, they also brought a large number of local commodities. Liang Huadian watched the commander of the military division in front of him, took out the goods he brought from his luggage, and sold them in front of him.

Outside, the soldiers who put down their guns on both sides behaved differently. The horse bandits are still on guard, with their guns still in their hands, and they can shoot as soon as the situation changes. But the soldiers really relaxed, all the guns were on their backs, and some people were supported on the ground in twos and threes in front of the reading group. According to the idea of the Reading Force, if a charge is launched at this time, he will not even have a chance to block it.

The relieved soldiers actually put down their guns, and a few bold men walked carefully in front of the group of horse bandits, unloaded the package they were carrying, opened it, and spread it out on the spot. The Qing soldiers who were at a loss didn't know what these soldiers were doing, and they couldn't understand what they were saying. I can only recruit the help of the interpreter of the reading group. After many inquiries from the interpreter, the Qing soldiers were finally told a very devastating statement: The Japanese army was setting up a stall to sell their goods to us. And the result of the Qing army coming forward to check was that a wild market was established. It's just that running back and forth is exhausting the translation.

"Your Excellency King Liang, you have also seen that we have brought a lot of supplies, and I think we can trade at a reasonable price. Of course, I'd like to buy a batch of guns that you have in place. ”

The words of Heichuan made Liang Huadian stunned: "No, what do we use when I buy it for you?" ”

"No, no, no, I think Your Excellency has misunderstood. We're going to need a bunch of your guns as proof. Of course, you can also buy our guns, ammunition and food. In this way, we can explain to the base camp that we have been attacked, and although we have routed your Excellency, we have lost supplies. Kurokawa Railroad showed a businessman-like smile. In this way, the Fourth Division will be able to refrain from fighting in the open.

Liang Huadian was spinning for a while, and this battle was really ......

After a long time, the two sides reached an agreement. 300 guns and 2,000 rounds of ammunition were exchanged for 300 guns and 5,000 rounds of ammunition and a batch of food. Originally, he agreed to sell the cannons, but Liang Huadian was a war army, where would he bring the money out, and leave all the money on the damn lonely mountain before going out. Liang Huadian originally wanted to collect the money that the soldiers brought with him, but he was rejected by the Kurokawa Railway. Because the division commander could not rob the soldiers of their business.

"Can you tell me what you will do in the future? Now the entire Liaodong Peninsula is garrisoned by the 4th Division, and we do not want to cause unnecessary misunderstandings. ”

When Liang Huadian heard this, he immediately recruited a staff officer. After discussion, I felt that I thought they were all horse bandits anyway, so I decided to make a bold temptation: "We are going to Dalian and Lushun." It's ownerless anyway, and we're going to make a big deal there. ”

Kurokawa said happily: "Great, if you go, it's just right." We can buy what you have in the open, without worrying about being confiscated by the military department. But how do you get it out? ”

"Of course we have our way." Liang Huadian smiled mysteriously.

"Do you have a ship?" Heichuan Rail Passage nervously grabbed Liang Huadian: "Can you go to the sea, can you lease a few ships to help us transport things back to China?" The price is negotiable. ”

In the end, an agreement was reached: After the 4th Division of the Chinese Army was attacked here, it would be transferred to the Dalian Lushun garrison to support. On the contrary, it was occupied by Liang Huadian's horse bandits, and Dalian was recaptured after five days of siege by the Fourth Division. However, horse bandits were prevalent in the Fuzhou area of Quanzhou, and the Fourth Division would all remain on the Liaodong Peninsula to suppress bandits in order to stabilize the place. He promised not only to protect local security, but also to do business fairly. And Liang Huadian will cooperate with the army to do some military operations. In exchange for the occupation of Lushun, Liang Huadian wanted to provide two freighters free of charge to help the officers and men of the Fourth Division transport supplies back to China, and the Fourth Division negotiated with the fleet to pay for the excess. But the 4th Division had to guarantee the safety of the fleet. At the same time, the two sides must not attack each other.

After the two shook hands and reached an agreement, Kurokawa came out and found that the horse bandits, who had only more than 600 people, were now nearly 2,000 people. Liang Huadian smiled and told Heichuan through the rail, I originally wanted to annihilate you.

After returning to Jeonju with a sweat, Kurokawa immediately drew up a telegram to Haicheng. He not only exaggerated the strength of the horse bandits, but also fabricated words that could be pretended by the Qing army for the sake of insurance. Unexpectedly, this fabrication was really the truth, and the judgment of the officers of Haicheng once again made a mistake in judgment, which gave the post-war Kurokawa rail a reason for righteousness and sternness: I said that it was pretended by the Qing army, and you don't believe it. You took all the supplies, how can I win.

And the shipload of goods and materials back to Osaka not only made the officers and soldiers of the Fourth Division, but also the people of Osaka call the Kurokawa Rail Clearer even more step: His Excellency the respected Kurokawa Rail Commander His Excellency.

Liang Huadian, who had completed the transaction, was very happy, but he still had to explain to Qi Muge with a calm face: "I know that we are not bandits, but a new army established by the emperor himself. But soldiers are also human lives, and they must not need to die to exchange for a complete Lushun, why is it not good. If you can achieve the goal, don't worry about the process. ”

Qi Muge stared at Liang Huadian until Liang Huadian was embarrassed before he said: "Since Commander Liang has occupied Lushun, then there is no business for us here, and I will lead the team back." Commander Liang, it's better to be a good student and defend not to gain and lose. (To be continued.) )