PS: The first update arrives, asking for subscriptions, monthly passes and recommended tickets! Thank you book friends book gold, afuo, Feng Xionghuaji, panzf79, I am a Chinese dragon, Danqing Zhao Khan Qing, Dawang tea, drunken smile, extreme deep-sea diving, Lao Wang Arthur, one side pass 111, drama heaven intercession, abyss Tsar 19771028, melin1968, stone33, Yunluo Dragon Shadow, Xiao dan, the brilliance of the sword, Krupp's monthly pass!

The Qing army's crushing defeat in Runing put the Qing army in an extremely disadvantageous situation on the battlefield in Henan. At present, the Qing army's army in Henan, except for the 3rd Infantry Corps and the 6th Infantry Corps, which are still full, the rest of the 12th Infantry Corps has only half of the strength left, and the 2nd Cavalry Corps has only a few thousand people left. As a result, the total number of troops defended and developed by the Qing army was only about 120,000, which was only half of the imperial army. From the perspective of the comparison of combat effectiveness, the Qing army is at an absolute disadvantage. In the case of one-to-one troops, the Qing army was not the right of the imperial army, let alone in the situation that the strength was still at a disadvantage. In the absence of reinforcements, the defeat of the Qing army on the battlefield of Henan was already obvious.

The commander of the Qing army, Boqin Gongwu, asked to abandon Kaifeng and retreat to the north of the Yellow River for defense. However, this was vetoed by the Manchu government. If it retreated to the north of the Yellow River, it would undoubtedly lose most of Henan to the Chinese Empire. The regent Aisin Jueluo. Mianyu personally gave an order to Boqin Gongwu, asking him to stick to Kaifeng until winter came. When the time comes, look for an opportunity to launch a counterattack. It's already early November, and it's another month away. Snow will begin to fall all over the north. When the time comes, the Qing army will be able to win the respite. Kaifeng will become an important bridgehead for the Qing army south of the Yellow River. Once lost. In the future, if the Qing army wants to counterattack again, it will be even more difficult.

It's just that the regent loves Xin Jueluo. Mianyu seems to have overestimated the combat effectiveness of the Qing army. It is almost impossible that the 120,000 Qing army wants to resist the attack of the 200,000 troops of the Imperial Army. Not to mention, the morale of the current Qing army is extremely low. Originally, the Qing army gathered 400,000 troops in Henan. However, more than half of the losses were made in a short period of time, which was a huge blow to the morale of the Qing army.

From November 11th. The Imperial Army gathered the forces of 7 corps and began to besiege the development. Although Kaifeng is an ancient city, there are many cultural monuments and historical buildings. However, during the war. There is simply no extra energy to protect these ancient buildings. After all, on the battlefield, destroying the enemy and preserving the lives of their own soldiers is the first priority. If the use of large-caliber weapons is abandoned in order to preserve these ancient buildings. That is a crime against one's own soldiers. Therefore. When some officials of the imperial cabinet proposed to protect some ancient buildings in Kaifeng City, they were severely criticized by the imperial emperor Long Yufei. Although these cultural monuments are important, he cares more about the safety of his soldiers. In addition, Long Yufei was very dissatisfied with the behavior of Chinese people who liked to indulge in the past and how powerful they were in ancient China. He thinks this is a sign of cowardice. What the empire needs is for everyone to look to the future, and the future Chinese empire will inevitably become strong and become the master of the world, which is the most important thing. It was precisely because of Long Yufei's order. made Kaifeng City almost a ruin in this war.

The Imperial Army amassed thousands of artillery pieces to bombard the city of Kaifeng. Among these guns were nearly 300 105-mm light howitzers. The rest were also 75-mm field guns. Thousands of artillery pieces launched an artillery attack on Kaifeng at the same time, and the power can be imagined. The 120,000 troops of the Qing army, cowering in Kaifeng City, completely became the target of the imperial army. Buildings are constantly being destroyed, including some historical artifacts and so on.

During the hours-long shelling, the city of Kaifeng was almost destroyed. After that, the Imperial Army dispatched sappers to blow up several holes in the walls of Kaifeng City. Subsequently, the soldiers of the Imperial Army invaded the city of Kaifeng and engaged in fierce street battles with the Qing army. In the street fighting, the Qing army was completely one-sided. At this moment, Kaifeng City has been surrounded by the imperial army on all sides, and the Qing army in the city is cornered. In response, many Qing troops directly laid down their arms and surrendered to the Imperial Army.

The street fighting in Kaifeng City ended after only two days. The commander of the Qing army, Boqin Gongwu, was killed, and most of the rest of the generals surrendered to the imperial army. In the Battle of Kaifeng, the Imperial Army lost only more than 1,000 people, the Qing army was killed as many as 20,000, and the remaining more than 100,000 Qing troops entered the prisoner of war camps temporarily set up by the Imperial Army. It can be said that so far the Imperial Army has won a heavy victory on the battlefield of Henan. Originally, according to the plan of the Imperial General Staff, the victorious Imperial Army would continue to attack north of the Yellow River, attacking Shanxi and Hebei in two ways. However, because of the drastic change in weather, the attack had to be canceled. However, by this time, the Imperial Army had already achieved a decisive advantage. The Imperial Army won a decisive victory not only on the Henan Front, but also on the Eastern Front. The main force of the Qing army has been annihilated by the Imperial Army.

When the Imperial Army was mainly attacking the Henan battlefield, the Eastern Front was on the defensive. The forces invested by the Imperial Army on the Eastern Front were mainly the 4th and 9th Armies of the Imperial Army in northern Anhui, the 6th and 11th armies in northern Jiangsu, and the 21st and 22nd armies as reserves. In addition, the 23rd and 24th armies were used as reserves. The 10th Army and five Marine Brigades waited for an opportunity to launch a landing operation on the eastern seaboard. Not counting the 23rd and 24th armies, as well as the 10th army and the Marine Corps, the forces invested by the Imperial Army on the Eastern Front included six infantry corps and two heavy artillery brigades, with a total strength of more than 220,000 troops. The Qing army faced by the Imperial Army was 5 infantry corps with a total strength of 250,000 troops. The two sides were almost equal in terms of troops, but in terms of combat power, the Qing army was completely at a disadvantage.

Originally, the Qing army planned to launch a counterattack on the Henan battlefield, and after a decisive victory on the Henan battlefield, it would attack eastward, cooperate with the Qing army's troops in northern Anhui and Shandong, and defeat the imperial army in one fell swoop. But who would have thought that the Qing army not only did not win in Henan, but was defeated? This directly put the Qing army at a disadvantage on the Eastern Front.

On November 4, 1846, the Imperial Army began its offensive on the Eastern Front. The 4th, 9th, 6th, 11th, 21st, and 22nd armies of the Imperial Army, as well as two heavy artillery brigades, launched a fierce attack on the Qing army's defensive lines. On the Eastern Front, the Qing army had no cavalry, and the Imperial Army did not have to worry about being raided by the Qing cavalry in the field. Therefore, the attack is very smooth. After the start of the battle, the Qing army was routed, and the main force had to retreat.

The Qing troops stationed in northern Anhui were mainly the 8th Infantry Corps and the 10th Infantry Corps of the Qing Army. There were only 100,000 people in total, and they were stationed in Bozhou and Huaibei respectively. On November 8, the 4th Army of the Imperial Army captured Bozhou and defeated the 8th Infantry Corps of the Qing Army. The Qing army retreated to Shangqiu in eastern Henan. On November 9, the 9th and 21st armies of the Imperial Army encircled and annihilated the 10th Infantry Corps of the Qing Army in Huaibei. The main force of the 10th Infantry Corps of the Qing army was annihilated, and the remnants of the troops retreated to the territory of Shandong. On the battlefield in northern Jiangsu, the 6th and 11th armies and the 22nd armies of the imperial army, starting from Huai'an, fought a decisive battle at Suqian and the 15th Infantry Corps, the 16th Infantry Corps and the 17th Infantry Corps of the Qing Army. The Qing army was routed, losing more than 30,000 people. The remnants of more than 100,000 people retreated to Shandong, and the whole of northern Jiangsu fell into the control of the imperial army.

After that, the Imperial Army made persistent efforts to invade the territory of Shandong and began to compete with the Qing army for control of Shandong. Shandong is an important city in northern China, and its people have always been strong. However, the Qing army's brutal policy of oppression in northern China provoked many popular revolts. After the Imperial Army invaded Shandong, it received the support of these people. Many people acted as guides for the Imperial* army, transporting the wounded and supplies for the Reich army, etc. This made the Imperial Army's attack on Shandong very smooth.

The Qing army continued to lose and retreat. The shape of the entire battlefield was very advantageous to the Imperial Army. At this time, the rulers of the Qing army were also in fear. Defeats were everywhere, and the main forces of the Qing army had been wiped out. If they continue to fail, the Manchus will be completely destroyed. However, it may be a good thing. After the capture of Jinan by the Imperial Army. A strong blast of cold air from the Siberian plateau swept across the land of China. Especially in the northern provinces of China, the temperature plummeted, dropping by more than ten degrees at once. Heavy snow fell in many places, and the entire front suddenly turned into a white expanse.

The vast majority of the soldiers of the Imperial Army were southerners, which were very unsuitable for the weather in the north. They were able to barely support it until it snowed. However, after the weather plummeted, even though cotton clothes and other equipment were distributed to protect against the cold, there were still a lot of frostbite, and even freezing to death. The non-combat attrition situation was very severe, which forced the front-line units to stop their offensive and hold on to their existing defensive lines. Until the weather improves, it is clear that the Imperial Army will not be able to attack further.

In addition, the plan of the Imperial General Staff to land directly in the Bohai Bay had to be canceled. After the temperature plummeted, the Bohai Sea was already frozen, and the transport ships of the Imperial Navy could not sail into the Bohai Sea at all. It can be said that because of the sudden change in the weather, the military operations of the empire had to come to an end temporarily. On the whole, however, the Imperial Army had already established a complete advantage in this war. The main force of the Qing army has been wiped out, and the remaining troops are only more than 200,000. By the following spring, the Imperial Army would be able to destroy the Manchus in one fell swoop. Even if the Manchus could take a little respite from the winter, it would be impossible for the Qing army to regain its strength without the support of sufficient financial resources and weapons and equipment. (To be continued......)