Zhao Guoxian and Zhang Yongcheng honestly reported the battle report, and did not even use vague words, what was repulsed, the attack was not smooth, or something, honestly wrote down the losses, and the telegram along the Guò railway was quickly sent to Beijing.

The battle report on the front line not only shocked the Beiyang Army, but also shocked the entire War Department, and everyone was stunned when they heard what happened to the fifth town, Baotou, in the eyes of the center of the Qing Dynasty, was just a small border land, at most it was a little more developed in industry and commerce, what is money, compared with the powerful force of the center, it is fragile glass. Shen Wansan of the Ming Dynasty, against the central government, was not destroyed the same, fattened pigs, the Qing Dynasty was miserable enough, and the suppression was not too far away, it was still okay.

But I thought that it was a hand-to-hand capture, an armed parade, and I am afraid that even the troops were not sent over, and Baotou would be honest and take out the money they earned to subsidize the central government, but I didn't expect that it was like touching the tiger's buttocks.

The entire center, including all the Zhongtang, the first thought was to lie, and after confirming it again and again, he shouted repeatedly: "Continue to send troops, send out the model third town, and you must destroy Baotou!" ”

The order to send troops was sent to the War Department, but it did not continue, the text of the household department came out, there was no money, and the previous appropriation expenses had already been squeezed out by the entire household department, and if you wanted to get it again, there was really no more.

At this moment, the officials of the entire Qing Dynasty have chewed wax, and they can't move the swords and soldiers if they don't have money, this is clear to everyone, don't let those military leaders hit the door when the time comes.

At the same time as the battle report was transmitted to the center, it was transmitted to Dongjiaomin Lane and Xiangcheng for the first time, Yuan Shikai was stunned, the six towns of Beiyang, it can be said, are the capital of his start, although the sixth town is not as good as the third town, but it is also a strong army in the whole of China, 25 75 guns, 24 Makqin a town, this is absolutely the top in the whole of China, with the power of 2 towns, against a cooperative, almost more than eight times the military power to crush the past, actually got such a result, this absolutely shocked Yuan Shikai, is it, Has Baotou's strength fallen over this Cheng dù?

Yang Du looked at Yuan Shikai with a confused face, he didn't know what to say in his heart, he was good at strategy, he was not particularly clear about military affairs, and he also knew that the Beiyang Army was cultivated by Yuan Shikai at a great cost, almost a lineage, except for the Manchurian Town, which was useless, the others were all created by Yuan Shikai, who was old in the army, and even foreign powers praised it, they didn't even support it for a day.

"Okay, Yang Du, don't think about it too much, now the things in the telegram are limited, it's okay to think too much, Zhao Guoxian and Zhang Yongcheng will give me a detailed report on the matter." Yuan Shihai said with a look in his head.

The six towns of Beiyang, all the commanders, are from the small station training, that is Yuan Shikai single-handedly trained, even if it is the center of the Qing Dynasty, they all listen to the tune and do not listen to the announcement, which Yuan Shikai has enough self-confidence, this is also the fundamental reason why Yuan Shikai has been there since he returned to his hometown, and the old god has always been there, otherwise, with the attitude of the regent towards him, he would have been beheaded at noon.

What the message said above could not show the real state of the battlefield at all, and he had to wait. Fortunately, from Zhangjiakou to Zhengzhou, there is a railway, from Zhengzhou to Xiangcheng, hurry up, at most 3 days, and the detailed battle report will come.

Sure enough, three days later, a team of dusty sergeants came to Yuan's mansion quickly, and was welcomed into Yuan Shikai's study.

"I've seen the Governor!" The soldier who stood straight said loudly. The person who came was the staff officer of the Fifth Town, and he could be regarded as a veteran of the small station training, Yuan Shikai said with relief: "You are Zhang Yun, Zhang Gou'er?" ”

When Zhang Yun heard that Yuan Shikai talked about his nickname, his face was happy, and he said: "It's the villain, the adults still remember the little name!" ”

Yuan Shikai has such an ability, it can't be said that he will never forget it, but most of the team he trained single-handedly remembers, and he often says it when he sees it, which is also one of his methods to win people's hearts, but this is not the time to say this, he exchanged a few words of greeting, and hurriedly began to ask about the battle situation.

A few days of hard work was enough for Zhang Yongcheng and Zhao Guoxian to come up with this battle report, this battle was too bad, but both of them were old in the army, and it was very clear what kind of army was on the other side, and they found some survivors' inquiries, and finally formed such a complete battle report.

The detailed battle report, including the detailed record of the battle, as well as the later after the retreat, was ambushed, all clearly written on it, of course, the beginning is Zhang Yongcheng's apology, a town of 16,000 people, only about 4,000 people left, this point is unjustifiable anyway.

Perfect positions, a large number of trenches, barbed wire, at least 300 or more 75 guns, more than 500 machine guns, and nearly 150 machine guns in the later ambush, the use of automatic firearms and powerful artillery fire, are the unique things of Baotou.

"How is this possible?" Yuan Shikai said almost angrily, with Yuan Shikai's knowledge, looking at the entire Chinese army, even the nearby Japanese army, who would come up with so many weapons, such automatic firearms, equivalent to dozens, or even hundreds of rifles, no force has the ability to take out so many bullets to send out automatic firearms, the effect is not obvious at all.

In fact, this is a misunderstanding of the entire Asian army, especially the East Asian army, and even Europe and the United States will develop automatic firearms in the face of trench warfare in the First World War, otherwise, it will still be the same as it was.

"Lord Governor, this is true, an infantry association, in less than an hour, it was filled in, this is close to 5,000 people, even if it is 5,000 pigs, it is impossible to enter so quickly, at that time, looking at the back, almost frightened, it was a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, by the way, there are also cannons, just a few rounds of salvos, but our artillery has no ability to fight back at all, it was directly shattered, and the whole town was also hit by a huge blow, almost defeated by artillery fire.

Yuan Shikai's brows furrowed tightly, he didn't doubt the combat effectiveness of the fifth town, Zhao Guoxian and Zhang Yongcheng's loyalty to him, he didn't doubt it, what the other party said was probably true, thinking that Baotou was a soft persimmon, maybe he could salvage a sum, but he didn't expect that the other party was an iron plate, with such a weapon, if Baotou gathered in Jiancheng to defend, all the six towns of Beiyang might not be able to please, and it would be a tragic victory to fight down, and the Beiyang Army was the capital of his Yuan Shikai's start, and it was impossible to fill it all in.

"By the way, Lord Governor, we observe that the other party's banner and personnel are at least a town, or a reinforced town, and there are many technical arms in it."

Don't need a staff officer, Yuan Shikai knows that the other party definitely has a lot of technical arms, just kidding, the cannon is also something that ordinary people can play, even if it is the Beiyang Army, it is just in the six towns, equipped with some 75 guns, on the one hand, because this 75 gun is too expensive, a cannon, at least more than 20,000 yuan, plus shells, it is even more terrifying, this is much more expensive than rifles and machine guns, even he, with the support of the entire center, does not invest much. On the other hand, it is not that this technical arm is difficult to cultivate, an excellent gunner, at least 1,000 shells are fed, even if it is a little reluctant, 500 rounds can be, according to the price of 75 artillery shells, a round of 30 taels, 500 rounds, that is, 15,000 taels, this number, is not something that ordinary people can bear.

Baotou is actually so much, Baotou's recent development is very weird, now he was still a little puzzled before, now, there is no doubt, there must be a strong country behind it, 75 guns, is it Germany, or France? The great powers were also 75 guns strong in these two countries.

I have to say that Yuan Shikai guessed right, and even where he couldn't believe it, he almost named the method of Baotou, that's right, the profession of gunner, itself is practice makes perfect, even if it is a pig, 10,000 rounds, or even 100,000 rounds of shells, it can also feed a marksman, not to mention that Baotou is all-round for the training of soldiers, and the gunners must know mathematics, trigonometric functions and some knowledge of ballistic concepts, which is extremely beneficial to the accuracy of the gunner.

Yuan Shikai was puzzled, Yang Du was also worried, from Yuan Shikai's expression and speech, he knew that Baotou was a hard bone, and Beiyang might not be able to gnaw it down, so he persuaded him: "Dong Weng, what should I do next?" ”

"Wait!" Yuan Shikai was silent for a long time, and finally said.

"Wait?" Yang Du asked differently.

"Yes, the independence of Baotou, the most anxious will not be us, it is the central hall, and those foreigners, Baotou is located in the hinterland, no matter how powerful the foreigners' warships are, they can't affect it, and the possibility of directly discharging the army is almost none, at most it is encircled and suppressed by the provinces."

"The provinces are encircled and suppressed, can they do it?" Yang Du said disdainfully, although he doesn't understand military affairs, he also knows what the state of the army in the provinces is, and the old people in Beiyang have all been beaten up miserably, not to mention the new army in the provinces, he sighed and said: "Will you let the tiger return to the mountain?" ”

"We are not happy, Baotou will be better, such a big horse of weapons and equipment, how can it be so light and hoarded, now, the whole of China, and even the eyes of all countries have fallen on Baotou, this Baotou, will definitely not be able to hoard arms, we will fight slowly, anyway, when their arms, after consumption, I believe that even the remaining strength of the fifth town and the sixth town is enough to break through the opponent's defense, but the premise is that the attack in a small area consumes as much of the opponent's ammunition as possible." Yuan Shikai knocked on the table with his hand and said with a smile.

Yang Du was excited, but he still signed the order, stamped it with Yuan Shikai's private seal, handed it over to the staff officer, and brought it to Zhangjiakou. R1152