In the dark, Fan Tao said: "The combat effectiveness of the Qing army has improved rapidly, and I think there are three reasons. "What three reasons?" Fan Tao thought clearly: "First, it is the reason for the commander Liu Mingchuan, this person is known for his integrity and honesty among the generals of the Huai Army, he is not only brave in battle but also sympathetic to his subordinates, so his subordinates use their lives. Second, the Qing army replaced new rifles and equipped them with a large number of Western artillery. The Qing court went against the norm and provided a large amount of silver taels to boost morale, and third, the assistance of Western countries and the participation of foreign military advisers greatly improved the training level of the Qing army. ”

"Your analysis is reasonable, it seems that we are going to get to know the Qing army anew. Damn, what did the old witch Cixi do a long time ago, if she was willing to spend money, she would not let the foreigners be humiliated repeatedly. "Chen Jin's anger is not in one place." When I was in the military academy, I heard the commander-in-chief say that this was the result of the stupid national policy of the Qing court. The purpose of the Qing court's creation of incompetent green battalions to serve as national defense was to fear a rebellion by the Han people. It was precisely when the commander-in-chief saw this that he had no scruples to raise the banner of anti-Qing Dynasty! ”

Chen Jinyu said with a smile: "It is too late for the Qing court to realize this, if there is no support from foreigners, I am afraid that we have captured the capital by now." "Foreigners can't save the fate of the Qing court. I can guarantee that the Qing army in front of me is not loyal to the Qing court, but to Li Hongzhang. "Fan Tao is insightful." I said that you kid is not easy now, no wonder the commander-in-chief took a fancy to you in the first place. As he spoke, the battleship docked on the north shore with the roar of gunfire.

In the Xiangfan Governor's Mansion, Liu Ming was a little shocked when he received the news of the Northern Expeditionary Army's large-scale attack. What should have come is still coming, but he can't avoid it, he has been mentally prepared. On the one hand, he sent someone to report to the capital quickly, and one ordered Min and his party to hold on. "My lord, I guess that the Wuhan front-line Northern Expeditionary Army is another feint attack to cover the Sichuan side." A staff member spoke. "How so!" Liu Mingchuan asked disdainfully.

"The Northern Expeditionary Army attacked the west with sound, and after the Northern Expeditionary Army on the West Road captured Sichuan, the troops were in full swing, so naturally Chen Sheng fought!" The staff shook their heads. "Stupid, the 300,000 soldiers of the Northern Expeditionary Army on the front line of Wuhan are staring at each other, is it an ornament. The Northern Expeditionary Army did not feint but attacked. Liu Mingchuan vetoed the judgment of the staff. Sure enough, just when everyone was scratching their ears and cheeks and speculating, at midnight, bad news came that the Northern Expeditionary Army had actually broken through the Wuhan Yangtze River defense line on all fronts.

At this time, everyone in the headquarters was silent, and a trace of fear lingered in everyone's hearts. A subordinate said worriedly: "My lord, Min and his entourage have reported that the Northern Expeditionary Army used thousands of cannons, is this possible?" "The Qing army is accustomed to lying about the military situation, and this subordinate asked." Maybe there was moisture, but the heavy artillery fire should be real. Order Min and his entourage to resist desperately and not retreat, and tell him that if he doesn't succeed, he will become a benevolent! At this point, Liu Mingchuan had to face reality. Frankly speaking, he was mentally prepared for the Yangtze River defense line, and he knew very well what kind of state his subordinates were, so Liu Mingchuan's expression was relatively calm.

The midnight attack that day still could not break the stalemate, and the central attack group was still advancing slowly, and Chen Jinfu ordered the first division as the main attack to pull up again. The Qing army's defense at any cost made the Northern Expeditionary Army really helpless. In the dark, a group of soldiers of the Northern Expeditionary Army attacked the mouth of an alley, and was suppressed by the fire of the Qing army. "Company commander, the enemy's fire was too fierce, 10 brothers were killed and 8 were wounded."

"Company commander, the enemy is blocking the intersection, let's go over the wall!" A soldier suggested. "Good on the wall!" The company commander decisively ordered. The soldiers took a ladder up the wall, but they were soon discovered by the Qing army, and a dense rain of bullets roared, obviously the Qing army was on guard. Several more brothers were killed and wounded, and the company commander had nothing to do. "Damn, if only I had dug a hole in the wall." One word reminded the company commander, "Bring the explosives and blow up the wall." ”

There was a loud bang, and a large piece of the outer skin of the wall was blown off, and it was clear that the wall was very strong. After a second blast, a large hole was blown open in the wall. Soldiers swarmed in. In one room, the company commander reassured the frightened and trembling people: "You don't have to be afraid, we are just passing by." "After several blasts, approached the yard where the rotating machine gun was located.

Due to the increased amount of ammunition in this blasting, the entire wall collapsed after the explosion. The soldiers quickly rushed into the courtyard through the smoke of gunpowder, and the grenades opened the way and charged violently. Dozens of minutes later, the Qing soldiers in the courtyard were eliminated. One room was blown to pieces, and the bodies of more than a dozen Qing soldiers lay on the ground. "Company commander, look, this guy is an officer." The company commander walked over to a dead body to check, "Haha is a thousand commanders, we killed a thousand commanders!" ”

In fact, it is very dangerous to break into depth, and frankly speaking, the Qing army's ability to assist in defense is very poor, otherwise they would have been wiped out long ago. After hearing the news, the regiment commander immediately recruited the company commander to the regiment headquarters and carefully learned the details. At midnight that day, the regiment assaulted with great speed. The next day, at the headquarters of the Corps, Chen Jinyu was overjoyed when he heard this: "It is worthy of being the main attack force, and I immediately asked this regiment commander to come to see me." ”

Soon, the regimental commander appeared at the headquarters covered in dust, "Report to the deputy commander-in-chief, and his subordinates have come to report." Chen Jinyu said straight to the point: "Your regiment fought well, tell me how you attacked." The head of the regiment snorted: "This ・・・・・・" "Why are you still keeping it secret?" Chen Jin's face changed. The deputy commander-in-chief, a subordinate company commander, used the blasting method to successfully kill a Qing army commander. This method is very good, so I pushed it through the whole regiment, but the casualties of the common people in this method are too great. ”

"Now I can't take care of so much, and the longer it drags on, the greater the casualties among the people. I ordered all front-line attacking units to use the blast attack method, and ordered the logistics units to provide sufficient explosives. Chen Jinyu decisively gave an order. On that day, one after another explosions began to sing in chorus, and the entire city was shrouded in smoke. The Qing defenders were dumbfounded in the face of this fearful play, and their will to resist began to loosen.

The command of the Qing army was shrouded in a sense of defeat. For the clever dispatch of the Northern Expeditionary Army, Min and his entourage, including his subordinates and military adviser Maxon, were at a loss. At this time, a subordinate said: "My lord, the Northern Expeditionary Army is simply a demon, and it actually uses the blasting attack method. After the explosion, the house collapsed, and many brothers were directly buried. My lord, are we going to withdraw from the city and build fortifications in the wilderness? ”

"Withdrawing from the city is tantamount to escaping from the battle, and the army will be defeated. We can still fight in the city, Hugh's clamour, I said that if you don't succeed, you will become a benevolent, and I will live and die with the city. Tell the brethren that perseverance is victory and that there is hope. Min and his entourage knew in their hearts that they were dead both horizontally and vertically, and they could only carry it to death. McSon said: "Now that the situation is getting worse, you should consider retreating!" ”

"Mr. McSon, do you know what it means to be a good person if you don't succeed? At the current and critical moment of the great enemy, only by cutting off the way to retreat can there be a glimmer of life. Min and his entourage had red eyes and gritted their teeth. Stupid, you Qing people are very stupid. Retreat to preserve your strength and the capital to fight again, if your people are gone, there will be nothing, I suggest that Lord Min should consider withdrawing his troops immediately, otherwise the whole army will be wiped out. ”

"Someone!" Min and his entourage roared loudly. Two fierce guards entered. "Please go down and rest!" Two guards framed McSon. "Bastard! Let me go! I'm going to the coalition command to sue you! Maxson struggled to be carried away, and everyone did not dare to speak, otherwise the head on his neck would not be safe.

The guns are still roaring, and the fighting is burning. In the Corps headquarters, Chen Jintang was in a good mood. At present, the progress of various departments is rapid, and the Qing army is already at the end of its strength. After listening to the explanation given by an operational staff officer, Chen Jintang was in a better mood. Now Chen Jintang is a little worried that the Qing army will escape, and he is worried that he will not be able to eat the Qing army cleanly and completely. "Report, Deputy Commander Li and Chief of Staff Wang have arrived!" A subordinate came in to report.

As soon as the words fell, Li Tianxiang and Wang Feng came in with great energy. "Deputy Commander-in-Chief, the current progress of the troops is rapid, what are we doing at this juncture?" Li Tianxiang looked hearty and must be in a good mood. "Yes! Could it be that reinforcements from the Qing army came up? According to the current pace of attack, there is no problem in taking Jiangbei City on the 5th. Wang Feng said happily.

"You two are right, it's only a matter of time before you take the city. The commander-in-chief often taught us that the capture of the city is not the goal, but the annihilation of the enemy. I was worried that the Qing army would escape, so I decided to slow down the speed of the attack so that the Qing army thought that we couldn't attack, what do you think? I'd like to hear your thoughts! ”

Wang Feng groaned and said, "With the character of Min and his party, he will never run away. Besides, Liu Mingchuan will not order a retreat, but with foreign military advisers, it is difficult to say, I agree with the judgment of the deputy commander-in-chief! "That's exactly the case, there are foreigner military advisers within the Qing army, and there are variables." "I also agree with the judgment of the deputy commander-in-chief, and tonight there will be a ceasefire on all fronts, and we will take the opportunity to rotate troops. However, the battle we planned to capture the city on the 5th may not be completed! Li Tianxiang said.

"The combat jihua is dead and alive, and the specific situation will be treated on a case-by-case basis, since you two have no opinion, order the attacking troops to cease fire on all fronts at 7 o'clock tonight, and the troops will rotate." Chen Jintang said decisively.