The troops brought by Du Xing'a from Jinan were almost the vast majority of the Jinan garrison, including the third town of the Qing Army commanded by Du Xing'a himself, the second town of the Qing Army commanded by Shi Rongchun, and about 3,000 Manchu and Mongolian cavalry, in addition to the above-mentioned main forces, there were more than 10,000 local regiments in Shandong, nearly 15,000 people in the Green Battalion and Eight Banners, and a total strength of about 50,000 people.

In addition, there is also a seventh town of the Qing Army and a green battalion on the Changqing side with about 13,000 people, with a total strength of about 22,000 people.

The two increased by about 73,000 people, and only the weakest regimental training and green battalion more than 10,000 people remained in Jinan City.

It can be said that Duxing's battle was to bring all the troops under his command that could be used, including the Qing Army of the three towns of the main force, the regimental training and the green battalion that could barely serve as auxiliary tasks.

What they need to deal with is the first division and the ninth auxiliary defense division of the first army of the Chinese army, with a total strength of about 11,000 people, and the main force is the first division, but the first division is not satisfied, because the combat scope of the first division is too much, and Qingzhou and other places in Shandong also need a certain number of armies, so that part of the strength of the first division is dispersed, and three of the twelve infantry battalions are scattered and stationed in other places, that is to say, the first division under the city of Changqing has only nine infantry battalions, and the other artillery units are also slightly lacking.

The lack of troops was also the reason why the First Division had not directly attacked Changqing on a large scale before, but Song Xiangtang, the commander of the First Division who led the army, obviously would not have thought that the Qing army, which had been pressed and beaten by itself for more than a year and had not carried out even one active attack, would take the initiative to attack, and it would pour out as soon as it moved.

When Song Xiangtang, who was outside Changqing City, learned that there were a large number of enemy troops in the northeast, he thought at first that it was the Qing army reinforcing Changqing's troops. But when the scouts reported that there were as many as forty or fifty thousand enemy troops coming from Jinan. He just sensed something was wrong.

"Could it be that these Qing troops really have the courage to take the initiative to attack themselves?" Song Xiangtang couldn't believe the return of the detective.

Song Xiangtang couldn't believe it. Still confused by the past examples, in the past battles, the Qing army let alone launched such a large-scale counteroffensive, even if it was occasionally encountered in the wild, it was mostly the initiative to retreat, and over time, Song Xiangtang naturally habitually thought that these Qing troops saw themselves, just like a mouse would flee in embarrassment when they saw a cat, how could he have thought that the mouse of the Qing army would dare to take the initiative to launch an active attack on his cat.

Not only Song Xiangtang was surprised, but even many of his subordinates were also a little surprised.

I have to say. Over the years, when the Chinese army faced the Qing army and the Taiping army, it had some thoughts of underestimating the enemy because of the successive battles, thinking that the Qing army and the Taiping army were not enough.

And these mentalities can be seen from the fact that when the Chinese army is at an absolute disadvantage in terms of strength, it also dares to take the initiative to attack, and it is not uncommon for the Chinese army to take the initiative to attack twice or even three times the enemy.

But now, if the enemy forces are summed up, there are more than 70,000, and their own strength is not more than 10,000. These 70,000 to 10,000, such a large difference in strength can sometimes have a huge impact.

Song Xiangtang, who realized that something was wrong, immediately ordered the troops to step up the construction of chest walls, trenches and other fortifications, and was ready to rely on the fortifications for a defensive battle, and he didn't mind a local counteroffensive if he had the opportunity.

As for escaping?

The Chinese army has been in the era of Yongying in Yuyao County. There is no precedent for running away, and this time it will not run away either!

Even in the face of more than 70,000 enemy troops, Song Xiangtang still did not have any idea of leading the army to retreat.

Ultimately. When Song Xiangtang and other Chinese generals faced the Qing army, they inevitably maintained a contemptuous attitude.

They believe that the current situation is certainly a bit tense. But it didn't make them scared or even turn around and run away, if it were another army. When faced with six or seven times the enemy's attack, and their own side can take the initiative to retreat at any time to avoid the battle, it is estimated that they have already retreated to avoid unnecessary risks, but the Chinese army does not.

It's a huge self-confidence built with countless victories!

Even when those ordinary soldiers heard that there were sixty or seventy thousand Qing troops coming towards them, they didn't say that they were all like ashes, and not many of them even showed nervousness, and some of the veteran soldiers laughed and said: "These barbarians are here to die again!" ”

Of course, although the first division went up to Song Xiangtang, the division commander, and down to the ordinary soldiers, they did not face the tension of the enemy, but their basic tactical literacy allowed them to quickly dig up the chest wall and trenches and other fortifications.

Under the command of the officers, whether it was the soldiers of the 9th Auxiliary Division or the Royal Army soldiers of the 3rd Division, they all brandished hoes, shovels and other tools to build fortifications.

It is worth noting that the fortifications they built were different from those in the Battle of Shanghai, when the Chinese army fought in Shanghai and the British and French forces, the fortifications built were mainly trenches, and the breastwork was used as an auxiliary, this was because the artillery of the British and French forces was too strong, and the artillery of the Chinese army could not suppress the artillery of the coalition army, so when building fortifications, special attention was paid to defending against enemy artillery.

And compared with the breastwork and the trench, the trench is more effective against shelling!

However, when fighting against the Qing army and the Taiping army, the Chinese army mainly built fortifications with breastwork, and the trenches were only used on a large scale in individual places and at certain times.

This is because the artillery power of the Qing army and the Taiping army is too weak, even if there is a part of the artillery, the artillery of the Chinese army can often successfully suppress them, which does not have the threat of large-scale artillery, and the breastwall is more convenient than the trench, and it is easier to build at the same time.

During the construction of the breastwork and other fortifications, the engineers of the engineering company of the 1st Division could be seen working with greater efficiency than the other units.

Due to the need to dig fortifications frequently in the operation, at the beginning, the Chinese army used auxiliary forces, that is, the auxiliary defense force, to dig fortifications, and used ordinary tools, but in the actual combat process, it was often due to the urgency of time. These non-professional auxiliary units were slow to build fortifications, which required the addition of regular troops.

This also led to the establishment of a new branch of the Chinese army. That is, the establishment of the engineering corps, and the Chinese Army first set up the engineering corps on an experimental basis in the Sixth Army. After that, it was rapidly popularized, and a separate engineering unit was established in each infantry division, but although it was stipulated that the establishment was one engineering battalion, it was affected by the actual situation, and now except for the Eighth Division and the Ninth Division of the Sixth Army, the engineering units of other units are not fully organized, for example, the First Division has only one engineering company, and the time for establishment is only three months.

Even the tools used in this project are relatively professional construction tools, such as the simplest shovel. All are specially designed small sapper shovels.

Of course, this sapper shovel is also the kind of extremely convenient folding type that can be used for hand-to-hand combat at the same time, and this sapper shovel is not even made of steel, but ordinary iron.

As for the reason, it is naturally because of the cost.

The price of steel in these years is extremely expensive, not to mention the sapper shovel, even if it is used to cast artillery, it is too expensive, and only steel is used on some special parts.

The steel industry in these years is said to be steel. But in fact, most of them are still mainly producing iron, and the annual steel output of Jiangnan Iron and Steel Plant, which belongs to Jiangnan Mining Company, is only thousands of tons!

Not to mention that steel is expensive, in fact, iron is not cheap in these years. All tools made of iron can be said to be of high price, and the peasants have to be careful in their daily necessities such as hoes and iron pots made of iron, while the wealthy military does not dare to say that every soldier in the whole army is equipped with a newly designed iron sapper shovel.

Therefore, it can be seen that most of the soldiers of the 1st Division and the 9th Auxiliary Defense Division still use various tools. Some even work with hoes, shovels, and other agricultural tools requisitioned from nearby rural areas.

Just when the first division began to build large-scale fortifications, Du Xing'a also hurriedly arrived in Changqing with a large army. Since they were not intercepted by the Chinese army on the road, they had a smooth ride on the way.

After entering Changqing. Du Xing'a still used a strong hand to integrate the other Qing troops in the city, mainly the seventh town of the Qing Army.

After a night's rest, Du Xing'a led the army out of the city early the next morning, because he had received news last night that Shi Qingxuan's department from Liaocheng in the west was only two days away from Changqing, that is, the time left for him to defeat the first division of the Chinese army outside the city was only two days.

In this case, not to mention a day, even an hour cannot be delayed.

Seeing the tens of thousands of Qing troops coming out of Changqing City, Song Xiangtang felt the pressure for the first time!

Although he had already known that the number of Qing troops attacking might exceed 70,000, but when he really saw 60,000 or 70,000 Qing troops all over the mountains and fields in front of him, Song Xiangtang felt the pressure on the number of enemy troops, and then looked back at the 10,000 people under his command, Song Xiangtang doubted for the first time, could he block the attack of the Qing army?

However, he quickly put this doubt behind him, as a high-ranking general of the Chinese army, as a general who has led his troops to many victories, he does not allow himself to have the slightest doubt.

"Pass the order down, prepare breakfast in advance, I don't want the soldiers to go hungry and fight!" Song Xiangtang thought for a while and then added: "Today's food standards are implemented according to the highest standards!" ”

Seeing that a large-scale battle was about to take place, at this time, Song Xiangtang naturally did not say that there was a shortage of food supplies for the soldiers, but instead increased the food supply as much as possible.

The so-called highest standard, that is, what to eat, eat until you don't want to eat or eat it until you finish eating, in addition to the daily staple foods such as rice and steamed buns, other chickens, ducks, pigs and sheep are also open to eat!

The food standard of the Chinese army is not only in contemporary times, even in China a hundred years later, it can be regarded as a high standard, just an unlimited amount of staple food is enough to make all ordinary people below the middle class in contemporary times look away, not to mention ordinary citizens and farmers in these years, even if they are some small and medium-sized landlords with a little family capital, they cannot let the whole family eat white rice every day, white steamed buns and unlimited amounts.

However, even if the Chinese army has a high food standard, this meat such as chickens, ducks, pigs and sheep cannot be eaten often, this is not a military expenditure limit, but because the source of meat is very limited, and it is impossible for the logistics department to transport chickens, ducks, pigs and sheep from hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

But during the battle, it is very difficult, and it is normal not to see flesh for three or five days.

Therefore, the Chinese army has gradually formed a tradition, during the war, it will briefly increase the supply of food, and the main thing that increases the supply is meat.

When the soldiers of the Chinese army were nibbling on chicken legs and drinking broth in the morning sun, the Qing army on the opposite side also began to line up neatly outside the city, and then gradually opened three times, directly from the front, left and right flanks and slowly surrounded the field garrison of the first division. (To be continued......)