On the surface of the Yellow Sea, the night has gradually fallen, and dozens of ships of all kinds are plowing white waves on the sea. There were new freighters and old paddle steamers. On their periphery, ironclad ships cruised around the slow ship.

Dozens of smoke plummeted into the sky, and the setting sun came from the west, reflecting on the sea, sparkling and rippling. Between the sea and the sky, if there is blood.

On every ship of the group, there is a flag of Yuezhang. And the escort ships are dancing with the naval flag of the Imperial Navy!

At present, the entire Yellow Sea is under the control of the Navy, and the Combined Fleet completely controls the sea power. Most of the Beiyang Naval Division has fled to the Weihai General Base, and the entire northern ocean of the Qing Dynasty has been opened to the Combined Fleet!

On the Matsushima, the flagship of the Combined Fleet, Admiral Yohei Ito took a leisurely walk on the aft veranda, doing a few stretching exercises from time to time. It was only more than 10 days after the end of the naval battle at the mouth of the Datong River, and under the urgent measures taken to repair the ship, the Songdao ship had been repaired, the bullet holes were riveted with iron plates, the deck had already been scrubbed clean, the sailors had been replenished, and even the boiler machines had been urgently maintained. Except for the gunboat "Akagi" and the special warship "Saikyo Maru," which were too seriously injured, the rest of the combined fleet's combat strength has largely recovered to its old appearance. However, the opponent Beiyang Naval Division has been greatly injured and can no longer be called a weighty opponent.

Waiting for Admiral Ito to finish his walk, the adjutant was already waiting beside him, and reported in a low and respectful voice: "Your Excellency, a signal has been sent from the flagship of the Second Army of the 'Nagato' Maru, asking when we will be able to reach the anchorage site, and I wish you a good night. ”

After the Yellow Sea War, General Ito, who had become a hero in his country, looked faint, even slightly tired, and frowned: "The army is very polite this time...... Summons, no need to reply. The movement of the fleet does not need to be reported to the army in the first place. ”

The lieutenant bowed, and did not retreat. Instead, he presented a thin dossier in both hands. Ito took it suspiciously and opened it, and there was only a yellow copy of newspaper inside: "What is it?" ”

"This is a report from the base camp that the notification ship 'Yaeyama' has been pursued, and His Excellency has been designated to read it in person...... "Later, the adjutant still didn't control his mouth, and added a lot of words: "It seems to ...... It seems that the army was defeated in Korea. ”

"How so?" Ito let out a low exclamation of surprise. Hurriedly reached out to the nose glasses and looked at them carefully.

The report of the base camp should be very clear, the Fifth Division of the Army, under the direct command of General Shan County, took arbitrary action and suffered a heavy setback in attacking Pyongyang, where the so-called Janissaries of the Qing State were strongholding!

Although the Fifth Division was brave and brave, it was still unable to withstand the enemy's superior firepower. After repeated attacks, it was a pity to lose. Although the casualties have not yet been specifically counted, they are about 40% of the entire 5th Division...... That's nearly 4,000 people gone! The general of Shan County has already pleaded guilty to the base camp, and is packing up the Fifth Division, resisting and retreating. Wait for the 3rd Division to land on Yuanshang, and ask the 2nd Army to immediately transfer a part of its forces, or seek to land on the side of the Taedong River, or land in the Inchon area, as a follow-up support force for the 5th Division. And I hope that the navy will cooperate with the operation and make every effort to cover the army units landing from both sides of Korea!

As a naval admiral, Ito's attitude towards the army is naturally a bit like that. After the wine is hot, he will also stinky with his colleagues: "It's better to let the army suffer a little!" ”

But there was absolutely no expectation that the army would suffer such a fiasco!

Since the start of the war against the Qing Dynasty, the land and sea have been like a bamboo. The sea power is already in hand, and the land is also a famous city, and the Huai army is fleeing from the wind. Not only did he occupy most of Korea, but this time he commanded the Combined Fleet fleet to cover the Second Army, which was to land in Dalian Bay and directly burn the flames of war to the heart of the Qing Dynasty! After conquering southern Liaoning, the entire Zhili Plain was under the front of the Yue army, and whether on land or sea, the Qing heavy army group in Korea was completely cut off. It can be said that the entire war has achieved absolute strategic superiority...... It turned out that the Qing Dynasty, the behemoth in the minds of people, had completely revealed its weak face in all aspects.

At this time, the strategy of the Yue army was to repeatedly attack the confidence of the Qing State, so that the Qing State completely lost the will to resist, and then had to sue for peace on the most humiliating terms. From then on, the situation in East Asia will change!

But in this series of wars that constantly hit the confidence of the Qing resistance and continued to win. Suddenly incurred such a fiasco!

A division lost forty percent - and perhaps hidden. Such a loss ratio means that the Fifth Division has completely lost its combat effectiveness, and it may be difficult to protect itself. One of the two pincers in the DPRK's strategic plan has been discounted, and the Praetorian Guard has such a strong combat capability that it is easy to transfer the main force to meet the other pincer third division.

In the event of a total defeat of Korea, the First Army was crushed. Then the self-confidence in the Qing Dynasty, which has been built up with great difficulty, will be shaken, and the morale of the Qing people will be greatly expanded, and the future war will not go smoothly.

As commander of the Combined Naval Fleet, Ito was to take charge of all land operations in each theater of operations. Therefore, it is more important to have a global concept than an army general who focuses on one battlefield. If the Second Army had been transferred to Korea in accordance with the plan of Yama Youtomo, the entire strategy of the Qing War would have changed and turned into a war of attrition that would have been clinging to Korea. And the navy has been lying on the back for 20 years, and the sea power that it has obtained with great difficulty is tantamount to waste...... It is said that it can't stand the consumption! It is said that Ben has invested every copper plate saved in this war, and is still burdened with astronomical debts!

Imperial Army, hey, Yama County has friends, hey...... And that Qing Janissary! Who was the Qing general who was in charge of the Praetorian Guard? Xu Yifan? That Xu Yifan who fired in Nanyang?

The night was getting dark, and Ito Youheng, who had finished reading the report from the base camp, stood there, his face was pale, and he didn't speak for a long time. The adjutant already felt a little trembling, and hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, there is still a designated message to be delivered at the base camp...... Specify your ...... to translate"

With a snap, General Ito, who is known for his elegant and samurai demeanor, actually gave the adjutant a slap!

One is not enough, and the pros and cons are spared again: "Bastard! Why is such an important news put in the back! Show me the news of the defeat of these bastards in the army first! ”

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Tokyo, Kasumigaseki.

Ito Hirobumi stood in front of the huge map in his study, and the secretary held the candlestick and lit it for him. Hirobumi Ito, who has a profound knowledge of Sinology, still likes the deep light of this candle when he is most irritable.

The candlelight shone his shadow on the map, dragging a long, dark shadow.

When the news of the defeat of the Fifth Division came, Ito returned to Tokyo as soon as possible. Playing his decision to Emperor Meiji.

At this time, he can only trust his own decision.

His finger slid lightly over the map. It is said that Benhai, North Korea, the Yellow Sea, the Bohai Sea...... And the rich and huge Qing country. It is said that this cramped sea is a small one in the northeast compared to the mainland.

Tens of millions of people live on this volcanic and barren archipelago, which has always been on the edge of East Asia, and even the edge of the world. And only now have they found the opportunity to rise after two thousand years!

The message to Ito Yuhiro slowly passed through his heart, word by word, extremely clear. He muttered to himself, as if he were also asking himself a question.

“…… The report of this defeat will be kept absolutely secret from the Second Army of the Qing Dynasty and His Excellency General Dashanyan! The opinion of the base camp army is suppressed by the contemptible people. In late August, the Second Army still had to complete the landing in Dalian Bay, attack the land of southern Liaoning, and fall to Lushun! The Combined Fleet and the Second Army of the Qing Dynasty must not be distracted by other concerns. Here and now, there is only one way forward, gambling on the fortune of the country! ”

"What about North Korea...... What about North Korea? One battlefield wins, the other battlefield loses, it is still a stalemate, the Qing State gets this encouragement, or will it continue to resist...... I can't afford to spend it......"

"I know too much about the Qing figures. Only to bet on them is still as stupid as ever! They will not watch a Xu Yifan who is so readable take their place, and they will not watch the fall of their own power. They're bound to mess things up on their own...... Maybe Xu Yifan has not yet achieved the final victory of North Korea, and he will be brought down by themselves! No, those Qing bureaucrats are not stupid, but too smart! But only for the sake of their own power, cleverness! ”

"Ito, Ito, isn't it too risky to pin your hopes on your own stupid internal friction within the Qing Kingdom, such a certainty, not even fifty percent, is a naked gamble!"

"Wasn't this a gamble from the beginning? The Restoration of Civilization is only a decades of backwardness. It is necessary to deal with the Qing State, which is 30 times larger than us, and the Qing State, whose fiscal revenue is several times that of us...... From the very beginning, weren't we victorious over the Qing state's own incompetence, stupidity, backwardness, and selfishness? We are fortunate to be ahead for decades, and if we don't gamble everything at the right time, when that huge country wakes up, what awaits us will be the darkness of the next hundreds of years! ”

"I'm Hirobumi Ito, and I'm confident in my decision! Can't help but have faith! ”

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North Korea, Hwanghae-do.

The sound of artillery rumbled, blowing up the positions of the opposing army into smoke and smoke. More than a dozen mountain cannons were placed on the spot, and the shells of the shells had been beaten like a hill, and the gunners stripped off their arms, loaded the shells into the barrels, and then fired them at a gallop.

The officers and men of the Praetorian Guard, with battalions as units, formed a dense skirmish line and attacked various positions around Ruixing Province in Huanghai Province.

The officers were in front, and the soldiers were close behind. Let out an earth-shattering cry and rush up the hilltop positions. The army resisted desperately, and later, it often evolved into hand-to-hand combat everywhere. Either the Praetorian Guard was driven back, or they simply captured the high ground and raised the Canglong Banner.

Every time the Janissary Guard's Canglong military flag was planted on a captured high ground, the entire Janissary officers and soldiers in the battlefield, including the Korean people, let out a huge cheer!

The battlefield surrounding the Ruixing Mansion was full of people, cars and horses. A team of North Korean civilians brought up supplies, ammunition, and food to evacuate the wounded. The horse team galloped in all directions, passing orders and guarding the battlefield. The Janissary Guard's attack on the 5th Division was in full swing!

In the first battle of 16 August, the Fifth Division of the Chinese Army was bleeding head-to-head in front of the Janissary position, suffering heavy casualties. In front of the 729 Heights alone, there were more than 2,000 corpses. Xu Yifan gathered twenty-four Makqin machine guns in one place, which was really ruthless. The density of firepower is already much higher, and it is difficult to put together a few complete corpses of the soldiers on the front line in front of the barbed wire!

Shan County, who did not give up, also crossed the Nozu Road and ordered the reserve wing to attack. Before they could climb the mountain, machine gun fire was forced, and the attacking army was already demoralized and retreated, with hundreds of casualties. At the end of the day on the 16th, the two wings of the Fifth Division launched the attack were crippled, the other two wings were also bold, and even the artillery suffered heavy casualties!

The Praetorian Guard immediately launched a counterattack, pressing the Fifth Division and retreating to Ruixing Mansion, in order to completely defeat the Fifth Division in the shortest possible time. As long as the Ruixing Mansion is lost, it is also a position that the Fifth Division of the Chinese Army can rely on. Even if they abandon everything and turn around and flee south, under the pursuit of Jiang Ziming's cavalry along the way, how many people can still return to Seoul, God knows.

After defeating the Fifth Division, according to the strategy of the Praetorian Guard, it will be transferred to the Eastern Front, waiting to meet the Japanese army that may land on the Eastern Front! Fighting on the inside is what it takes to achieve such a situation.

The army also knows that the situation is so bad that they must not turn around and run. Youpeng and Nojin Daoguan in Shan County cleaned up the embers, relying on the area of Ruixing Mansion and resisting desperately. If there is not enough ammunition, use flesh and blood, and fight to the death everywhere. It was also the first time that the Praetorian Guards had played the job of attacking this position, and although their morale was high, they had to gnaw a little bit. The devil has the crazy energy to resist desperately. In the past few days, although the devil captives were as hungry as ghosts, it was far from the time when the remnants of the Fifth Division would collapse.

The General Staff Headquarters of the Praetorian Guards was directly in the hands of the front line this time, and the headquarters was also pushed forward step by step, almost overlapping with Li Yunzong's town headquarters.

At this time, I saw that in front of the tent group of the staff headquarters, the horses were coming and going, and one after another orders were issued, and the information was also gathered here, and there was a busy scene in all directions.

As the brain of the staff headquarters, Chu Wanli didn't sleep with those new staff officers who were also fledgling at this time. Instead, he accompanied his immediate boss Xu Yifan and chose a secluded place to drink tea together.

Xu Yifan is a little untouched by these things, and he also knows his status, and it is difficult to resist the urge not to interfere in giving orders. For example, "Five hundred dead people will also take down that high ground for me!" "Why only one battalion was transferred to attack there, not two?" "When will we be able to attack Ruixing Mansion, time is very tight!" …… These commands and so on.

He was a little unsure of the consequences of such a purely military and tactical order. It is better to be out of sight, and it is stipulated that before the 23rd of August, the Ruixing Mansion must be taken, the Fifth Division must be eliminated, and then the troops must be transferred as soon as possible. Just drink tea leisurely every day, read some books -- and also have a bit of a strong general's demeanor.

But this kid in front of him ...... Why drink tea here too? Or a more laid-back posture than him?

Chu Wanli sat up straight from the chair lazily, and stretched out his hand to greet Pu Yang outside: "Lord Belle, refill the water for me!" ”

Then I saw Pu Yang come in with a stinky face, pour water into the cup in Chu Wanli's hand, and deliberately wanted to spill it on his hand. Chu Wanli is a figure who is more hairy than a monkey, and his hands flash quickly.

"Thank you, Lord Belle, the yellow belt is waiting for us, it's really a blessing from the ancestors...... Go back and ask my father, in addition to being a landowner in Songjiang Mansion and opening a pawnshop by the way, have you done anything to accumulate virtue before? ”

Xu Yifan was holding an original copy of The Wealth of Nations, but he didn't read a word. finally couldn't bear to pat his leg: "Chu Wanli!" What are you doing here? Others are at war, what are you doing idle? ”

Chu Wanli smiled: "Fighting a war is a matter of Yunzong, and there are German advisers in the staff headquarters staring at it, so they are more familiar than me...... I've thought all about it, I've given instructions, what am I doing there? Pointing fingers at the tactical command of Yunzong? I can't beat him! ”

Xu Yifan is still unhappy, he doesn't like to take the upper and lower systems of the Manchu officialdom, and the little soldiers of the Praetorian Guard will finish it when they see him. Standing shifts, kneeling, getting started, and singing resumes are all free. If the army is like that, there will be no sense of honor at all, but this Chu Wanli is too unsuccessful. He is now the Siqin Cha, the squire of the military department, the mainstay of the Qing Dynasty!

Seeing that Xu Yifan was about to go crazy, Chu Wanli could feel Xu Yifan's bottom line every time he came to this time, and quickly sat up straight, put his face on his face, and put down the teacup in his hand: "My lord...... The subordinates are following your orders, not focusing on specific affairs, and the subordinates are speculating on the changes in the future battle situation......"

"Did you come up with anything?" Xu Yifan asked angrily, if this kid has to be diligent, then the world should be the same.

Chu Wanli smiled faintly: "My lord, we have achieved the most ideal results, right?" The original strategy of the adults was to use the advantage of the inner line to break the Yue army on the Korean battlefield and let the entire battlefield fall into stalemate attrition, right? Our victory here reflects the defeat of Beiyang, and we can justifiably ascend to the top - at this time, who can leave us? And the devil can't end the war smoothly, as long as we are still winning, the court will not dare to risk the world's condemnation to make peace! The more the war continues, the more important our position becomes...... According to Mr. Nobita's intelligence, they can't afford to consume it, and in the end they lose without victory, and we win without defeat...... Adults want to win on both fronts, both internally and externally, don't they? ”

Xu Yifan also put down the teacup, and there was a rumbling sound of cannons outside, shaking his tent. Shouts of killing and gunshots drifted from afar. Inside the tent, however, it was silent.

Xu Yifan stood up and glanced at Chu Wanli, who had a serious expression: "You understand?" ”

"The distance of the adult's plan and the depth of his intentions, his subordinates can only be described as five-body throwing to the ground. This war has been used to the extreme by adults! ”

At this time, even the most unserious Chu Wanli said it sincerely.

Xu Yifan raised a hand to stop him from continuing: "Without your painstaking training of the Praetorian Guards, they fought to the death in Yunzong Xuzhou, and the loyalty and courage of the soldiers, no matter how much I planned, I would not have succeeded......

Chu Wanli also interrupted him: "But no adult knows everything about the situation in China, how can he do this?" The general trend of East Asia has been leveraged by the lone army of adults! Sometimes subordinates really don't understand, how can adults have such talent! ”

Nonsense, Lao Tzu is crossed. Xu Yifan thought stupidly.

As long as the Janissaries can maintain the situation in Korea, they can achieve some victories. The Manchus could not help but continue to resist, and if they persisted in resisting, the Beiyang and other forces would only be defeated more completely, and the Manchus would only rely on him doubly. The war dragged on, and it also gave Yuben no chance to end the war with dignity, only to drag down his national strength!

This is his wishful thinking, his path to reversity, his skyrocketing prospects!

"Although I am a little selfish, I am also worthy of history and my ancestors...... With me, maybe it will bring a different kind of life to history and a different opportunity for history, right? ”

There was silence in the tent for a long time, and Chu Wanli's clear voice sounded again: "My lord! If nothing else, the key now is when we will be able to divert our forces to the Eastern Front. Nie Gongting has always been a weak point for us...... As long as we can transfer our forces in time, the DPRK can drag it out, and the overall planning of the adults can succeed...... That's it! ”

Xu Yifan was still silent, and finally smiled faintly: "It's good to understand, I'm waiting for you to throw the head of Youpeng in Shan County in front of me as soon as possible." ”

(To be continued)