In the night, a fiery dragon still curved and rolled along the mountain roads of North Korea.

The topography of North Korea, as mentioned above, is a north-south mountain range, and it is difficult to move in an east-west direction. This road, which extends from Pyongyang to the east and then turns northward, is a road that was painstakingly built for hundreds of thousands of miles of money and under the planning of the General Staff Headquarters in the past year, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars of silver, and requisitioning more than 100,000 people, and is the basis for the mobile operations of the entire Janissary Army.

Especially in the summer of this year, the road has not been completely repaired. It's rainstorms again, mudslides again, and there's no time to stop. At that time, Tang Shaoyi also suggested that Xu Yifan take it slow and not use the North Korean people's power too much, after all, the Praetorian Guard's home is now here. However, Xu Yifan's attitude at that time was extremely resolute, no matter how hungry and tired the Korean people were, no matter how bad the natural conditions were, this urgent road must be completed on schedule!

At this time, everyone saw that Xu Yifan's foresight came out, without this road, within this month, the Praetorian Guards would be killed, all tired and vomiting blood, and they would not be able to climb Anzhou!

However, Rao has this road, Rao has Xu Yifan's flying soldiers, and he is an elite tiger warrior of the Left Association who has experience in long-distance raids from Pyongyang to Seoul, and this road is still extremely difficult.

What a path this is!

Unlike the official roads that run through the north and south of Korea that wind along the flat land between the two mountains, the road between Pyongyang and Seoul is wider, and the road administration has a place to maintain it. This road is undulating up and down the mountain, and the high place has to cross the mountain with an altitude of seven or eight hundred meters, and the dangerous place is a mountain on one side and a cliff on the other!

And the officers and men of the Right Coalition of the Praetorian Guard, on such a road, advanced at the speed of a rapid march. Everyone walked sweaty, but there was no intention of stopping in the slightest of steps.

Xu Yifan was also in the queue, he was on a crutch, and he also wore the same leggings as the soldiers, and he was also climbing up the mountain road with difficulty. There were all soldiers around, and under the torches, these children saw that Master Xu, who was also a four-chin mission, followed them and measured the road with their feet foot by foot, and everyone's pace couldn't help but speed up a little.

No one knew that Xu Yifan had already been complaining in his heart, but in front of his subordinates, he still had to make an excited look, and when the team's eyes came over, he had to wave his hand and say a few words of encouragement in a fearless tone. It also usually wins the soldiers' enthusiastic answers.

How long have you been gone? Today alone, I got up at five o'clock in the morning for breakfast, and last night at one o'clock in the morning I camped casually on the roadside. He walked without stopping, and there was only a ten-minute break for every three hours of marching. For lunch, everyone eats dry food while walking, and now it is seven or eight o'clock, according to the reservation plan, over this mountain, in order to have dinner by the way to rest for an hour, and then have to walk to the early morning to camp and rest!

Xu Yifan only felt that the blood blisters under his feet had already burst, sticking to the socks, and every step was painful, and when he climbed a chiseled staircase, he was about to fall down, and the two Ghoshha who had been following him - Pu Yang and Chen De were busy supporting him, and when he saw his boss falling, the soldiers who were struggling to climb next to him scratched, and the officer leading the team was about to run over by pressing his military hat.

Xu Yifan stabilized his figure, waved his hand and scolded the officer away: "Get out!" Treat me like a? Remember it for me, Lao Tzu fell, you give me a devil's team flag! ”

On the battlefield of Ruixing Mansion, Xu Yifan, the flag of half of the devils, was not handed, which made him smack his lips with regret. Defeating the famous general Youpeng in Shanxian did not reduce this half of the regret. Xu Yifan, a big man in history, has seen a lot, and killing a famous old devil seems to be nothing now, but in his memory, in the history of his original time and space, tens of millions of devil soldiers invaded the country for eight years, fought until they were defeated, and after eight years of blood and fire, not a single devil's flag was captured!

At that moment, he told the staff officers about this regret, and also focused on telling them that the flag of this wing was personally awarded by the emperor, and the flag can still be rebuilt in the army after the death of the people, and the flag is lost, even if the army unit is completely erased from history!

There is a way that the lord humiliates the ministers to death, Xu Yifan's regret makes those young officers scream one by one, and it is also a great sense of accomplishment to erase a military unit in history. The officers below seem to have discussed this issue when they were marching, and the final conclusion is that this time forget it, on the Eastern Front, no matter what, they must surrender a few wing flags and throw them at Xu Yifan's feet!

Seeing Xu Yifan talk about this, the young officer is a sentry officer, that is, a platoon commander, maybe it is the first or second phase of the Nanyang academic officer. took off his hat immediately and smiled: "My lord, what have you fallen into this way?" Let's face to face, but there are only four wings of devils...... Do you have to fight to your own country, so that we can help you pay off your debts? ”

The soldiers who gritted their teeth and insisted on marching around laughed lowly, they used to respect and obey Xu Yifan to death, but this way they turned around, Xu Yifan marched with them, climbed the mountain together, gnawed dry food together, wrestled and scolded his mother together, but what he won was wholeheartedly loved!

Xu Yifan was supported by Pu Yang and Chen De, and looked at all this in front of him with satisfaction. The laughter is very kind, but it is definitely not presumptuous, the soldiers are very hard, but they are full of vitality, and the top and bottom seem to be a whole, this is the army he wants! The news from the previous report also made him feel a lot more at ease, the cavalry continued to return, Nie Shicheng has been insisting on resisting, stuck on the Cishan line, and the offensive of the army has been silent. In two days, he will be able to rush to the Eastern Front with the Left Association, then the initiative of the Korean war situation will be firmly in the palm of his hand, after breaking the third division, the entire Praetorian Guard will have too much room to play in front of the sea and sky, and this First Sino-Japanese War will really become a different First Sino-Japanese War!

I really didn't mistake this Nie Gongting, who is one of the few people in history who guarded the last bit of dignity for the Chinese [***] people in the Gengzi catastrophe!

He waved his hand and scolded with a smile: "Get out!" Climb your mountain, and when the time comes, I'll take you wherever I go, just watch where my finger goes! ”

"Wherever the adults point to, we will rush!" The sentry put away his smile, solemnly agreed, turned around and continued with his brother.

Chen De, who was behind Xu Yifan, said in a low voice: "My lord, what is your identity, why are you still climbing the mountain with us?" Tie up the sliding rod, we carry you, how can you not fall off the trip, and it is comfortable......"

Xu Yifan turned his head and glared at him, and scolded in a low voice: "If the fifth master's bodyguard didn't always rush to the front with a knife, so many people would be convinced of him?" It's the same thing! Serve me as an adult again, and don't follow me in the future! ”

Chen De was silent, after all, he was still shallow in the Praetorian Guard. Pu Yang was familiar with Xu Yifan's temper a lot, and when he looked at Xu Yifan's tired and self-supporting look, he turned around: "My lord, I'll carry you!" ”

"Lao Tzu doesn't ride the horse anymore, and he still rides you? No matter how mother-in-law and mother are, don't even think about getting out of the army! ”

Pu Yang turned around with a look of surprise: "My lord, are you allowed?" Before Xu Yifan could speak, he heard a sound of people shouting and neighing horses in front of him, followed by the sound of heavy objects falling and falling to the bottom of the valley, and the tragic neighing of mules and horses dying spread far in the night!

Xu Yifan was startled, and felt that something was wrong in his heart for no reason, and he didn't say much at the moment, he climbed up the mountain road ladder carved out of the masonry with both hands and feet, and the soldiers along the way were already crowded together, mules and horses were carrying ammunition and food, and some were also carrying the components disassembled from the mountain artillery, and the hind legs were stretched straight on the ladder, and a bunch of soldiers were busy pushing and pulling and sweating, and when they saw Xu Yifan passing by, they were all busy getting out of the way.

The mountain road up the mountain turns in the mountainside, it becomes a wooden plank road, circling through the mountainside, the road only allows a mule horse and a driver to pass, one side is the mountain, the other side is the cliff, the road is dangerous. The horses and mules of the army passed extremely slowly, and the procession had almost come to a standstill. Xu Yifan rushed all the way to the front, and before he could catch his breath, he saw that under the light of the torches, Li Yunzong stood on a protruding rock, he kept waving his hand, and the mules and horses carrying heavy weapons, food, and ammunition were constantly pushed off the cliff by the soldiers! Between the valleys, the sound of collision rumbled, mixed with the sound of mules and horses screaming, in this dark night, it was so thrilling!

"Yunzong, what are you doing here?"

Li Yunzong turned around slowly, and the soldiers also stopped. Under the torches, I saw Li Yunzong's expression as dignified as the rocks beside him, and there was no expression on his handsome face. Seeing that the soldiers stopped, he turned his head and ordered loudly: "What are you waiting for? Push it down! Clear the way for the troops, completely light, and move as fast as you can! ”

Lost these heavy weapons and fought a fart battle? Xu Yifan was so angry that he couldn't speak, and ran straight to Li Yunzong, and saw Li Yunzong whispering quietly: "Cishan has been broken through." ”

"What?"

"Tsz Shan...... was breached. ”

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Bet won! Bet won!

The morning wind floated, and Kawakami stood high in the mountains, but he only felt a burst of blackness in front of him.

The direction of the kamikaze blowing, even if he is as desperate as he is, he never expects it again!

On the two flanks of Cishan's main position, the 8,000 Sheng Army retreated without a fight and abandoned the first-line position. He was already gambling on his red eyes, and immediately ordered to sneak through the flank position held by the Sheng army, outflank and attack Nie Shicheng's department, and completely open this vital passage!

More than 3,000 soldiers with empty guns and empty bellies were moving on difficult terrain and fearing a rain of bullets pouring down their heads all night, and it was completely impossible to organize an effective attack in such a terrain. As long as the enemy resists according to the danger, they will not be able to advance an inch, only collapse down, Nie Shicheng will attack head-on, and the two wings led by him and Da Qi Shangmin can wait for the follow-up troops of the third division to arrive, it is still a question!

For this offensive, Kawakami has gambled everything!

In the night, the guns never rang out.

Thousands of troops trembled over the first line of trenches, high and low mountains, the positions of the Sheng army were intact, and a lot of ammunition and food that had not been carried away or destroyed were found! The morale of the army was greatly boosted, and after frantically grabbing a burst of dry food to fill the stomach, they continued to attack forward under the leadership of the junior officers who had gone crazy!

Sheng Jun's headquarters still put a few shots on the second line. However, this army was even more unbearable than when it was fighting in South Korea, and the guns did not go out for long, and everywhere there was a wild shout: "Defeated, defeated!" ”

The shouts of the army filled the night sky, and the noise of the Huai army was also grounded. The whole night was filled with an inexplicable frenzy, and by the second half of the night, the army had broken through the Cishan position from the flank!

The whole line of the Sheng army collapsed, there were very few casualties, and after the sky gradually brightened, you could see the flow of people in the brigade, retreating in the direction of Anzhou in the northwest, and Nie Shicheng's department also reacted, in the night, they did not dare to leave the position without permission and fell into a melee - their strength was already very thin. Nie Shicheng's department was much more tenacious, and did not collapse in such a panicked situation in the dark night, and always insisted on firing support to the flanks with firepower, constantly blowing trumpets and whistles, and lighting torches to get in touch with the Sheng army on the flanks.

But their efforts were in vain.

The Sheng army resolutely fled in the direction of Anzhou with a resolute attitude of righteousness! They dropped their rifles, they dropped their ammunition, they threw away their food, they threw away their banner uniforms. And the Yue army used these dropped weapons and munitions to launch a final attack on Nie Shicheng's department!

The sound of gunfire swept through the entire Cishan, and the smoke of gunpowder filled the air, rolling over in bursts. Nie Shicheng's headquarters was irretrievable, they only had more than a thousand men left, and the army had already appeared on their flanks and behind them - there were no fortifications there. The most important thing is that Nie Shicheng's resoluteness allows his subordinates to exert the greatest courage to resist, but this courage is also limited - friendly troops are fleeing, enemies are on all sides, and their strength is weak, Nie Shicheng's shouts and killings are getting lower and lower, and the gunfire is becoming more and more chaotic, and they can't fight anymore!

Seeing that the army was already covered with the hillside as if it had been beaten with chicken blood, they shouted and desperately advanced. Standing there, Kawakami knew that victory was already in his hands, and he slowly lowered his binoculars, trying to turn back and smile at the staff officers. Everywhere I looked, I saw that the staff officers were crooked and stumbling one by one, all trying their best to support them, and everyone had scorched faces and bloodshot eyes. Major General Ōsako Shomin simply sat on the ground, dozing off with his saber and hanging his head, with half a piece of dry food in his mouth.

Kawakami's mood was agitated, and his eyes were full of tears for some reason.

The kamikaze is finally blowing, and he is the witness!

Two thousand years of national fortune may have been snatched up in this war! They are small countries, but they have too many ambitions. Twenty years of life and gathering, twenty years of thrift, every copper plate, every bit of energy, have been invested in this gamble. From start to finish, it's gambling!

And he Kawagami is six, it seems that he has won! The Imperial Army, it seems, has also won!

He wanted to speak, but he couldn't say a word, and in the end, he could only bow deeply to these staff officers.

"Gentlemen, how fortunate we are to work with you, and how fortunate we are soldiers of the Meiji era to participate in this war!"

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"Military Gate! Let's go! In the direction of Pyongyang, the devils are weak, let's rush out desperately to protect the military gate! ”

A few goshkhas were already covered in blood, standing there with rifles in their hands, desperately trying to pull Nie Shicheng away. And Nie Shicheng held the waist knife, his eyes were red. The morning breeze mixed with the smoke of gunpowder swept by, blowing the big flags around him.

The shouts of killing were getting closer and closer, but the resistance fire on their side was getting weaker and weaker, and soldiers were constantly jumping out of the position and running in his direction in a panic. The devils are pressed from the flank, and there is only a gap in the direction of Pyongyang to the west. When they saw Nie Shicheng standing there holding his waist knife, the soldiers and officers stopped hesitantly, going back would be a death, but Nie Junmen was still standing here in front of him!

Nie Shicheng stared blankly at everything in front of him, and he didn't know why everything turned over overnight. He blocked the frontal impact of the superior devils with 2,000 soldiers, and he took his descendants to block, and the easy work was given to the 8,000 Sheng army. Xu Yifan only handed over the supplies assigned to him, and he also treated them equally, without any disadvantage. Before the war, who of those Huai Army officers didn't keep saying that they were grateful, and promised to die one after another?

As a result, there was really no male in the 8,000 Sheng Army, so he escaped like this?

What exactly are these people thinking? He also wants to be an official, he also wants power, and he doesn't dislike silver. But at the head of the national war, for the blood flowing in the cavity, for the sake of the justified, self-evident truths, we should also fulfill our responsibilities! Or is there something that, in the eyes of these Sheng Jun, is higher than these great righteousness?

Or is there really something wrong with this country that someone has to change all this?

He slowly looked west, Xu Yifan was coming at this time, right? In the whole country, it seems that only this two hundred and five Qincha, who has been unruly and incompatible with officialdom, is fighting desperately to the death and fighting to the end for this country.

It's a pity, I, Nie Gongting, am sorry for his entrustment.

Nie Shicheng smiled miserably and slashed his neck.

"Zuo Guanting, I'm here to be your companion! It's a pity that this is a great river! ”

The Goshkhas were stunned, but they didn't have time to run over, just at this time, in the retreating ranks, a raged Praetorian Guard officer rushed over, and hit Nie Shicheng's head with the butt of a gun. Only then did the Goshkhas rush over and support Nie Shicheng.

The Praetorian Guard officer tightened his belt and said with a smile: "Everyone, I'm sorry, my lord's explanation, no matter what, I want to keep Nie Junmen, so I just retreated...... The military gate is really strong! The big guy will withdraw with the military gate, who wants to think that the good man is done with the killing, stay with me, let's make a guard for the military gate. ”

The retreating soldiers and officers looked at each other, bullets whizzing past the group. A junior officer of the Nie Department asked in a low voice, "You are not afraid of death?" ”

"I came out of Nanyang, I know the suffering of foreign devils riding on my head, and I wear this skin, just to die, don't suffer that kind of anger anymore!" The Praetorian Guard officer replied with a smile, raised his rifle, and took the lead to return to the position, some officers and soldiers glanced at each other, gritted their teeth and scolded their mothers and followed, and the rest hugged Nie Shicheng and retreated with a ashamed face.

"Huai Army...... The Huai army is over! Let's struggle for our lives, Lord Xu to the end! Fuck, I'd rather lead a horse for a good man than be an ancestor for a Lai man! ”

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"Nie Gongting is finished......" In a place that was so far away from Cishan's position that he couldn't even be seen, more than a dozen horses stood on the slope, listening attentively to the sound over there.

The gunfire had gradually subsided, and the noise of the Sheng army's retreat was getting louder and louder.

The first knight, wearing a long shirt and a small melon skin hat, looked thoughtfully into the distance, it was Yang Shixiang. And beside him are Ye Zhichao and Wei Rugui with complicated expressions.

It was Wei Rugui who spoke in a low voice just now.

The Sheng army was defeated, and everything was secretly instigated by Yang Shixiang! He was waiting for Ye Zhichao and Wei Rugui in Tieshan, and under coercion and temptation, the second general, who had no choice, sneaked back here with his cronies. The Huai Army was originally trained by Li Hongzhang for decades, these generals were powerful and deep-rooted in the Sheng army, and the enemy was at the head, and Xu Yifan, who was fighting hard, had no time to clean up and digest these 8,000 people. Yang Shixiang opened a bid code, three hundred taels for the sentry officer, eight hundred taels for the team officer, and two thousand taels for the battalion officer! As long as you obey his orders, Siheng's cash ticket will be taken away! Moreover, Zhongtang spoke, to ensure that their reputation is not bad, the head of the camp is not withdrawn, and they continue to enjoy happiness in the Sheng army, which is only considered meritorious, and there is no sin!

The soldiers are not mothers who have milk, and they are afraid that Xu Yifan will swallow them. Li Zhongtang spoke, coupled with the cash, he was not only cautious under orders, but immediately moved out of the defensive front, resulting in the loss of the Cishan position in the end!

Listening to Wei Rugui's words, seeing that Ye Zhichao's face was also pale, Yang Shixiang looked back coldly: "This is the result of betraying Zhongtang and betraying the Beiyang group!" He wants to be a martyr, it's good to be a martyr, and in the end, it is not up to us Beiyang to clean up the situation? ”

"We're losing again and again...... Lord Yang......"

"Xu Yifan lost even more! When the time comes, after the army has cleared Korea, it will naturally break through the border defense and advance into the land of Longxing in the Great Qing Dynasty...... When the time comes, who will be the one who will clean up the defeated army on the border and resist the invasion of the Japanese army? It's not you Lord Ye, you're Lord Wei! ”

"No munitions, no supplies......"

"Isn't there one in Anzhou? A thousand recruits of the Praetorian Guard, we are friendly troops, do they dare to open the city to accept them? There is no heavy general under Xu Yifan to preside, what is it to take this little thing from him? ”

"Even if there is an arms replenishment, we are only afraid...... The morale is almost gone......"

"The Northeast is so big, isn't it enough for us to fight all the way and retreat all the way? We all lost the battle, and no one asked us to turn the tide...... Maybe we will talk about peace, but we are still resisting! ”

After several questions and answers, Ye Zhichao and Wei Rugui only nodded. There was also a little spark of hope in his eyes, maybe this was the only way? Yang Shixiang didn't take them into the dark...... After all, after Xu Yifan's fiasco, they are still leading the army to resist desperately!

Of course, winning and losing are two different words. But it's also a great opportunity to atone for your sins!

The two of them looked at Yang Shixiang with a little more awe in their eyes, after all, they are people who have read big books, and the twists and turns in this intestine are much thicker than those of them, I don't know how much! But it really counts everything.

Wei Rugui was a little rude, and he said it straight out if he was a little uneasy, regardless of Ye Zhichao's constant glances.

"Lord Yang, when will this battle be over? Defeat so badly......"

Yang Shixiang smiled coldly, turned around and whipped away.

"It's not the first time that we lost to foreign devils to pay compensation and cut land, and the Qing Dynasty is not good, as long as we Beiyang never falls, you and I will be famous! Others, want to do so much? ”

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Suddenly, the mountain wind became stronger, mixed with whistling sounds, and rampaged through the valley, blowing torches and flames dancing, as if they would be extinguished at any moment by this tyrannical wind!

The mules and horses that kept rolling down the valley were mixed with the rocks and rocks, as if they were rumbling thunder.

Looking at these burdens that were pushed down, the soldiers' expressions became nervous. The officers kept making short orders, and the whole army was completely lightly armed, and after clearing the road, it was almost on the mountain road!

The change in the situation of the war, as the grassroots, they are not clear. But Xu Yifan and Li Yunzong were standing on the roadside stones, both looking at them with faint smiles. Commander, these tough and simple officers and soldiers ran faster, and there was only one thought in their hearts, no matter what happened, as long as Lord Xu was there, the sky would not fall!

Xu Yifan tried his best to keep smiling, but countless projected gazes pressed on his shoulders, so heavy that he couldn't breathe.

The cavalry returned, the Cishan position was broken through, the Sheng army was defeated, and Nie fought to the death. It is said that the army has signs of advancing towards Anzhou!

After all, he was a step too late, and now he can only adopt Li Yunzong's opinion, completely lighten up, catch up as quickly as possible, and keep Anzhou no matter what!

He wanted to thank Li Yunzong for making this decision before him, this guy's nerves were almost iron. If he was replaced, he might not have the courage to take a unit that had lost its heavy weapons and rush up to fight to the death with the army!

It's a tough road...... It's really hard to walk......

"Can this battle be fought without heavy weapons?" He whispered to himself, Li Yunzong heard it, and answered his mantra without looking back: "I never doubt this!" ”

Xu Yifan pondered for a moment and smiled himself. When is it smooth sailing, it will really be an eye-opener for God, he has been like this all the way anyway, and he is used to it. He said that he was gambling, so why wasn't he gambling? With a balanced approach, he couldn't pry this lifeless old empire from the beginning.

The wind is so strong, could it be that it is the kamikaze that I prayed for that made them successful in gambling?

In that case, then my Praetorian Guard is a thunderbolt that will shatter all your dreams! Let you know who is the master of East Asia, even if history has given you the opportunity to jump onto the stage for more than a hundred years, but history sent me back in order to return this little derailment to the normal road!

"Onward! Towards Anju, forward! ”

In the night, Xu Yifan finally shouted out, until the mountains and valleys responded!

(To be continued)