The fierce fighting in Mukden continued until the evening, when the South Gate once again reported that about a regiment of the Qing army had entered the city, and the weapons used were very strange. The North Gate also reconfirmed that the Qing army had about 300 new troops into battle, which made the commanders of the Russian army pay attention. But the transformation of the arrogant commander of the Russian army from contempt for the enemy to fear of the enemy is only a thought. The Qing army ambushed forces in the city, and the reason why the Qing army did this was to drag the Russian army under the city so that the other troops could encircle them. When it was mentioned that the second division of the Qing army did not appear on the way to reinforce Mukden but had lost the news, everyone recognized the intention of the Qing army to encircle the Russian army under the city of Mukden, and decided to collectively send a telegram to the governor requesting the withdrawal of the army.

The report requesting the withdrawal of the army was sent by the cavalry, but was reprimanded by the Governor: a bunch of fools, losing the Mukden Yellow Pig will be more troublesome than us. Mukden must be taken by the early morning of the next day. And in order to intensify the attack, the Governor sent all his personal guards, and they are now on their way.

Looking at the warrant of the Governor, the troops could only reluctantly attack again. It was thought that the withdrawal demanded by all the officers would be approved, so the attacking forces were slowly withdrawing from the city. Especially in the direction of the North Gate, all the Russian troops have withdrawn from the North Gate, and the Qing army has already established positions on the city wall. But I didn't expect this to be the result I was waiting for. Fortunately, there is an east gate that is still in the hands of the Russian army, and I don't know why the Qing army's attack was interrupted all of a sudden. The Russian army, which had been compressed to the foot of the city gate tower, also gained a foothold again because of the sudden interruption of the Qing army's attack.

Inexplicably, it is not only the Russian commanders but also the Qing army. Shoushan was actually even more puzzled, although the 10th Regiment had newly arrived and had the advantage of new weapons, the 10th Regiment Bi Yi had not rested for two days and one night, and he had not eaten enough. If the Russian army continued to engage in high-intensity combat with the Qing army, the Qing army would inevitably collapse at night, and at this time, the Russian army took the initiative to withdraw from the city. The north gate advanced faster than the east gate, so the east gate advanced to the bottom of the castle tower after the north gate was reoccupied. Shoushan and the staff officers assessed the battle situation and agreed that it was a very unwise choice for the Russian army to suddenly give up the siege at this time, and the arrival of the main force of our reinforcements would not be until tomorrow at the earliest. The biggest possibility that the Russian army is doing this is that it lacks strength and wants to run.

Shoushan immediately gave the order to the first battalion attacking the east gate to stop the attack, and set up a ring defense line 500 meters from the east gate as the center. The Qing army had the advantage of new weapons and ammunition. Leave the east gate to the Russian army and see what the Russian army thinks. If the Russian army really wants to withdraw. Then they will take the initiative to throw away the east gate and retreat. In order to prevent the Russian dogs from jumping over the wall in a hurry, Shoushan also transferred one company from each of the north and south gates back to guard the west gate, and took back the companies directly under the division that participated in the attack at the east gate and re-stationed them in the central square as a reserve.

The examples of defeating the strong with the weak and winning more with less are not uncommon in the world, and it is also talked about because of the shining wisdom in these examples. The most well-known is the empty city plan in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but who knows that Zhuge Liang's implementation of this plan is more of a helpless choice. Defeating the strong with the weak and winning more with less is actually the last resort for the weak and the less side to be forced to save their lives. Victories are remembered, while more losers disappear in the long river of history. Now is not the time when the battle of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period can be decided. Winning more with less in a campaign cannot change the course of the war. In the face of absolute power, stratagem is ridiculous. In the Anti-Japanese War, every action was well explained by the Japanese army expected by Bai Chongxi, what is called - one force to reduce ten meetings.

Stratagem can help you win one, two, or even three battles, but it won't help you win the final glory of the entire campaign. Japan, which had gambled to win the First Sino-Japanese War, Tsushima, and Pearl Harbor, still collapsed at Midway. No general or marshal wants to take a strange path when he has absolute superiority. Even if it is full of stratagems, it can only involve the strength of the enemy's frontal battlefield, and it is the violent duel on the frontal battlefield that determines the final victory. At this time, it is not the one who has more stratagems than the commander, but who makes fewer mistakes.

Although the Qing army did not capture the east gate, which increased the pressure on the follow-up defense, the Qing army must not have made the mistake of the Russian army's inresolute attack and indecisive retreat. Hold your ground, if you don't come up, I won't go out. The order of the Qing army to hold on to reinforcements was well carried out. And on the defensive side with the advantage of firepower, even the sappers are more professional. All obstacles in the machine-gun firing angles were cleared, and the dense projectile fire caused the Russian army's repeated attacks to be stopped in the middle of the attack.

Night slowly fell on this land, and Liu Shengxiu, who was far away in North Korea, was still in a hurry in the dark. He had to reach Japan on the Yalu River, where he lined up his defense. Rejecting the Japanese invaders and outside the country is the emperor's latest will. Blocking along the way was the best way to delay the Japanese army, but the Korean army was really unreliable. The good regular army Pyongyang lost its soul in the first battle, not to mention going up to fight with the Japanese, it was a person who called a Japanese devil to come. The blocking position that had been set up was immediately lost, and the birds and beasts scattered. It is better to fight guerrillas in the rear, at least they can retreat in an orderly manner if they can't fight them.

That is, on this night, the special train of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty stopped at Jinzhou Railway Station. When the emperor came, all the officials of the Jinzhou General Staff Headquarters naturally stood on the platform to welcome the emperor.

The train slowly stopped on the platform, and the civilian officials knelt down and the military attaché saluted. Unexpectedly, the emperor didn't even get out of the car, but only sent Kou Liancai out to deliver the decree: "The emperor has an edict." All the officers are in the car—"

The middle of the train, which has only five cars, has been converted into a command room. In the middle of the long table is a map. Officials get on the bus in turn according to their grades, and not all of them have the right to get on the bus, only the most core officials can get on the bus, and the train is divided into two trains on both sides of the table.

Guangxu stood at the other end of the table: "Time is limited. Don't salute. Weigh the time for the train to replenish coal and water, and tell me the latest situation in the war. ”

"Yes." Wang Shizhen stood up and began to draw on the map: "Let's talk about the outside line first." The news of Tsushima's victory was reported to the emperor early yesterday morning, but in order to protect the secret of radio, it was not announced. According to the fleet's latest telegram, they will arrive in Arthur early tomorrow morning. As soon as they arrive in Lushun, we will be able to inform the world of the news. At the same time, the former Beiyang Fleet remained in the Tsushima Strait to cut off Japanese reinforcements. On the North Korean side, Liu Shengxiu is retreating to the Yalu River and will arrive by noon tomorrow. In view of the current combat strength of the DPRK Army, the General Staff Headquarters reorganized the 8,000-odd retrenched soldiers assembled in Jinzhou and Yingkou into the 1st Provisional Division, and allocated all of them to the command of the 7th Division. It was noon on the day that the troops at both locations had already been deployed, and it would take about four days for them to reach the Yalu River at the speed of the Japanese army's movements, and the Yingkou headquarters could arrive within one day, and the Jinzhou headquarters could arrive at the latest three days. Other than that. A regiment of reinforcements sent by the King of the Ryukyus will also be ordered to march into the Dandong Pass, and it is expected that it will be able to beat the Japanese army by one day. With the support of these troops, coupled with the re-assembled Korean rout, Liu Shengxiu could still be expected to hold Japan off the Yalu River. ”

"At present, the battle situation is all focused on Mukden." Wang Shizhen pointed to Fengtian and said, "The Eighth Division has almost no combat effectiveness. Fight the enemy with plenty of ammunition. This morning, Shou Shoushan, commander of the 4th Division, personally led the 10th Regiment into the city from the south. At one time, the North Gate was recaptured, and it was close to the East Gate. However, after the initial panic, the Russian army readjusted its attack, and captured the north gate again at 4 p.m., and the defense line of the east gate was also lost and was retreating step by step. Ten minutes ago, the south gate of Diandian was about to be lost, but the Russian army never attacked the west gate. ”

"Fengtian is related to the overall situation of this battle, and the minister has sent a telegram ordering the 10th Regiment to hold on. At the same time, the 11th Regiment was still less than 20 miles away from Mukden, because they had to carry a large amount of ammunition and baggage, so the marching speed was relatively slow. They will arrive at the city of Mukden at midnight today and launch an attack. Although the 10th Regiment was small in number, it had no problem holding out until the second batch of reinforcements arrived. In addition, the 11th Regiment and the divisional artillery regiment can arrive by tomorrow morning. At the same time, the 3rd Division, which was originally stationed in Jinzhou, was the main reinforcement. Bring all your gear supplies. Yesterday afternoon, Lord Ouyang Xinzi led the reinforcements to Fengtian, and will arrive in Fengtian City before noon tomorrow. That is to say, as long as the 10th Regiment can hold out for another four hours, the battle situation in Mukden will be worry-free. ”

"As long as the Russian army under Mukden City can be forced back, the Russian army will lose the strategic initiative. At the same time, the 3rd, 4th, and 8th divisions were the main forces in the Battle of Mukden, and after this battle, the three divisions would be transferred to repair. The follow-up pursuit and annihilation of the Russian army was carried out by the 1st Division, the Artillery Division, and the 6th Division. At present, the second division has bypassed Siping and marched towards the Changchun and Jilin lines according to the first plan. It is expected that the attack on the Russian army will not be launched until three days later. ”

"At the same time, the special battalion is already locking on the Russian high command. It is currently under surveillance. As soon as the battle of Mukden is decided, it can be attacked immediately. In order to increase the intensity of the attack on Mukden, the Russian army transferred ninety percent of the troops stationed in Mukden to Mukden. The commander of the special battalion, Qi Muge, reported that they could take the general command of the Russian army on their own. After Wang Shizhen finished the report, he stepped aside and waited for the emperor to speak.

Guangxu gestured with his hand and said after a few maps: "Is there a problem with the logistical supply of weapons and ammunition?" ”

"Nope." Tang Shaoyi stood up: "After the ministries were dismantled, weapons, grain, grass and other materials were not reduced. The artillery division and the 1st division had sufficient time to prepare, and they also brought supplies when they came, so there was no problem with the materials used in this battle. ”

"What about the independent division?"

"We have arrived in Shanghai today, and all the large transport ships of the Pacific Freight Company are helping the independent division to load the ship overnight. After the announcement of the great victory at Tsushima tomorrow, the vanguard can set off. According to the assessment of the General Staff Headquarters. Incheon is the first landing site. ”

"I can't talk about war. Now that the war has begun, you have absolute command of the army, and I will not blindly command. Guangxu waved his hand and motioned for them all to retreat: "You go and urge, let the water and coal be added quickly." Feel free to tell the front-line troops that I will arrive at the city of Mukden at noon tomorrow, if they have not completely captured Mukden. I will lead the Royal Praetorian Company in a charge. ”

At this point, although it is not yet known whether the war will end, the overall situation can be predicted. Even if Mukden is lost, the defeat of the Russian army is a foregone conclusion after the army gathers. Now the Qing Dynasty is no longer the Qing Dynasty where the people in the First Wu Dynasty are full of routs, and the emperor needs to come up to boost morale. Now all the soldiers of the royal army are in full swing. are looking forward to a battle with the Russian army. Even if you lose Mukden, it won't take a lot of effort to regain it. In this good situation, the emperor has to go to the front line in person, and there is nothing to do. Whenever something happens, even if it hurts and feels a bad feeling, it is not easy to explain it to the outside world. Before Song Qing died, he also told Shoushan not to go to the battlefield in person with the emperor, but this battle was to fight for the emperor's name, otherwise there was no need to drag it to the emperor to conquer in person. As long as all divisions are gathered, it is still a question whether the Russians can go through Siping. But the emperor's temper ...... Say yes!

"The emperor is slow, and Weichen still has something to do." Wang Shizhen came out of the class and said: "Shoushan called, the 10th Regiment captured Yiketanga who abandoned the east gate. On his deathbed, Admiral Song ordered a beheading. ”

Song Qing...... Hi. Guangxu sighed: "If the deserter is killed, he will be killed, and it is not a pity for Yiketang to die." As for Song Qing, let's talk about meritorious deeds after the war. Guangxu waved his hand, seeing that these people didn't mean to go down, and asked in surprise: "Is there anything else?" It's okay to rush the train, hurry up and get on the road. ”

"Your Majesty, the king of Joseon, Yi Hee, and his son Li Kun begged to see the emperor. Now it has passed the Grange Terrace, and you can arrive in Jinzhou tomorrow. Tang Shaoyi came out of the class and said.

"Let them divert to Mukden. Tell them that I will summon them tomorrow afternoon. ”

The emperor said this because he was determined to go to Mukden, and he had to enter the city in the afternoon. How is this good? From the minister's face to face.

Guangxu looked at the ministers and seemed to have something to say: "There is something to say, there is a fart." When did I become guilty of my words? ”

"Your Majesty, Lord Song's last words before his death were not to let the emperor go to the front line." Tang Shaoyi knelt on the ground and played.

"Yes, Your Majesty. The emperor is the king of a country, how can he go to danger in person. Wang Shizhen also knelt down and said.

At this time, everyone was persuading the emperor to stay in Jinzhou and take command. Guangxu smiled: "I came to command, maybe the battle I won was lost to the commander." I don't have the ability to do this, so it's better for you to do it. Actually, you just don't want me to go to the front line, and you have your heart to take it. But I said that I would return victorious. If you don't go to the battlefield, you can't win. Emperor Chrysostom, how can he repent. Well, no more talk. Unless you decide that you can't take Mukden back tomorrow at noon? ”

"It will definitely be recaptured, please rest assured that the emperor."

"Then what else do I have to worry about?"

"Your Majesty, the war on the front line is uneven, you can't go." Cheng Cheng, chief of the general staff of the Navy, said: "Now is not the situation in which the emperor must be present in person to deter the overall situation, and the staff headquarters can independently command the troops. If the emperor wants to go to the battlefield in person at this time, then what else do we generals do. Your Majesty, your generals have not all been killed. ”