Suddenly, there was the rumbling sound of cannons, which seemed terrifying in the silence of the night. Riverley, who was already scared, was like a frightened bird. Seeing the commander's pale face, his subordinates said: "Your Excellency, it is difficult for the enemy to launch an attack to the east of the river. The defensive forces in Hedong are too small, do they want to send reinforcements to Hedong? Rivelly said with a blushing face: "Maybe the enemy wants us to reinforce and order the troops to strengthen the city defense on the east side of the river. Whatever happens, be sure to hold on to the city and wait for reinforcements to arrive. ”

Rivery looked at the dense and fierce shelling in the direction of the east of the river, and a trace of fear arose in his heart. It can be said that this is the most uncomfortable moment in his career, the situation is unknown, the opponent is unknown, it is like a demon has suddenly arrived. If the other party has already premeditated to target him, and he knows nothing, this is the most terrifying. According to the information fed back by the reconnaissance troops sent by Hedong, the enemy's artillery fire was very accurate, but the artillery was huge, which showed that the opponent was well-armed and well-trained, and Riverili did not dare to think about it.

Deng Zixuan saw the sound of artillery coming from the east of the river, and immediately ordered the troops to start moving. At the base of the city wall on the southeast side, a group of soldiers quietly moved here. The dense artillery fire coming from the east of the river attracted the French sentries, who craned their necks and looked in the direction of the east of the river. At this time, the covering group suddenly opened fire according to the combat Jihua, and several mobile sentinels on this section of the city wall were killed at the first time. The soldiers who had been waiting under the city wall for a long time threw their claws towards the city wall, and then climbed agilely.

With the flash of grenade explosions and the sporadic sound of gunfire, the soldiers quickly climbed the wall, and this section of the wall changed hands. "Report to the regiment commander, I went up to a company, and the 100-meter city wall was controlled by me." An operational staff officer came to report it. The regiment commander Li Sheng shouted loudly: "The follow-up troops quickly followed up and expanded the Warring States. Half an hour later, there was no gunfire on this section of the wall, and the fierce battle developed in depth. The southeastern wall changed hands, attracting the French troops defending the east gate.

In the dark, the sapper squad placed the explosives pack at the gate of the city wall. A few minutes later, with a flash of fire, an earth-shattering explosion sent the gates of the city gone. At this time, the soldiers who were lying in ambush outside the city wall rushed in bravely while the smoke of gunpowder had not dissipated. It should be said that there is no suspense, the French defense in Hanoi is too small, and it is the first time that French soldiers have encountered such an opponent, and they play strangely, and they are powerless to resist the fierce battle.

When the explosion of gunfire and grenades suddenly came from the southeast side of the city wall, Commander Rivery knew that he had been fooled. He quickly moved troops from the southwest flank. Just then there was an even louder explosion that shook the room and made Riverley stunned. Half an hour later, an officer ran without a military cap and shouted in embarrassment: "Your Excellency, General, the enemy has broken through the southeast wall and the east gate. The enemy's weapons are advanced and their combat effectiveness is so strong that we simply cannot parry. ”

"How many troops is the enemy?" Riverley asked in surprise. "There are thousands!" The sound of gunfire and explosions was getting closer and closer, and one of his subordinates hurriedly said: "Your Excellency, Commander, the situation is critical, you should retreat immediately." "Rivelli's head finally came to his senses, and he immediately ordered the troops to retreat from the West Gate and converge the main forces in the direction of Taiyuan. After dawn, the gunfire stopped in the city of Hanoi. Deng Zixuan led the headquarters into the city.

"Report to the commander-in-chief, the battle is over, 213 French soldiers were killed and wounded, and 315 French soldiers were captured." Li Shengyu reported. The commander of the 2nd Regiment of Kung Fu reported: "Commander-in-chief, a force of the enemy fled from the West Gate, the direction of escape is Taiyuan, it is estimated that the command officer of the French army has fled, do we pursue?" Deng Zixuan groaned and said: "There is no doubt that the commander of the French army, Riverly, has escaped, so let him run." You are now looking for a French-speaking interpreter in Hanoi, and I want to learn more about the situation of the French army. "Subordinate Order!" The commander of the 2nd regiment turned and left.

"Li Sheng!" "Here! Please, Commander! Deng Zixuan continued: "You immediately send a battalion to surround Hedong from the north side to prevent the enemy from escaping!" "The troops continue to clean up the battlefield in the city, sweep away the remnants of the enemy, and at the same time pacify the people of Hanoi." It's almost like acting, you sing and I appear. A mighty army occupied the city of Hanoi in the blink of an eye, and the people rushed to tell each other, and they all spread the word that the Qing State had sent troops, and the people of Hanoi regarded them as official soldiers, and no one would doubt them.

At dawn, Bai Sheng received a report that the city of Hanoi had changed hands, so he ordered his troops to fan to attack Hedong. This effort came out of the city, and a battalion of men and horses also outflanked it. The captain of the French army guarding Hedong saw such a fierce army for the first time, and finally revealed the true face of Lushan. When he confirmed that the army in front of him was not the Black Flag Army, nor was it the Annan Army, it could only be the Qing Army. Especially when I saw another unit coming out of the city, it was obvious that the city of Hanoi had changed hands after last night's battle.

The French captain suddenly collapsed. Since yesterday, not a single shot has been fired, and his subordinates have lost one-third of their troops, and to be exact, they have been killed by the enemy's artillery fire. Seeing that his subordinates had no intention of fighting, the troops and commanders in the city were afraid that they would not be able to escape their fate, and the French captain had no choice but to announce his surrender. An hour later, Bai Sheng marched into the city with the captives, their troops, and the artillery team. Coincidentally, He Meng led his subordinates to Hanoi City.

"Report to the commander-in-chief, He Meng, deputy commander of the 2nd Brigade of the Annan Provisional Formation, to lead the 6th Regiment to arrive." He Meng was in high spirits and reported it. Deng Zixuan returned the military salute and said: "On behalf of all the officers and men, I would like to express my high respect for your outstanding completion of combat tasks. Now is not the time for reunion, we should carry forward the ability to fight continuously, zuihou to deal a fatal blow to the enemy. Deputy Brigade Commander He, you lead your subordinate to go north immediately, drag the retreating French army in Liangshan in Beiguang, and wait for Leng Yifei's troops to kill and eat the enemy in Liangshan. ”

"Subordinate Order,!" He Meng saluted and turned to leave. Then the military meeting was quickly convened, "Ladies and gentlemen, after our interrogation of the French prisoners, it has been confirmed that the commander of the French army, Riveley, led about 300 men and fled to Taiyuan. It is estimated that they converged with the retreating main forces of the French army at the small ridge. I have sent someone to inform Lin Xiong's department to quickly send troops to occupy Taiyuan and block the way for the French army to retreat. Next, I would like to ask the operational staff to promulgate a new operational jihua. ”

An operational staff officer stood up and walked to the map and said, "The military posture in front of us is such that we have taken Haiphong and then occupied Hanoi. In the present state, the enemy in the direction of Taiyuan, with the fleeing French army in one place, has a clear understanding of us. And the enemy who retreated from Liangshan did not know about us, He Meng led his troops out of Beiguang to block the enemy, and when Leng Yifei led his troops to kill, he annihilated the enemy under Beiguang City. ”

Another combat staff officer stood up and said: "After our analysis, it is impossible for the enemy in Taiyuan to retreat to Taiyuan after the French army that fled in Hanoi. If you escape from the west to the south by bypassing Hanoi, not only will it be dangerous, but the Red River barrier will also be difficult to cross, and it will be impossible to escape in this direction. After our analysis, the only way out in front of the French commander was for the enemy in Liangshan to join forces under Beiguang City. Then to the east to reoccupy Haiphong and escape from the sea. ”

Seeing that the operational staff officer finished analyzing, Deng Zixuan stood up and said: "The operational staff officer has conducted a possibility analysis, what are your different opinions!" "I agree with this analysis and have no objections." "In this case, we will immediately raise troops and insert them between Beiguang and Taiyuan to fight a classic field battle. White victory! "Here!" "You led the first regiment lightly armed, and quickly inserted it into the water source to stop the French army. I led a large force and artillery to follow, and we fought a regular field battle with the French. ”

The commander of the French army led more than 300 people and ran out of Hanoi in disarray. All the heavy weapons of the French army were left in Hanoi, and 10 field guns, 5 rapid-fire guns, and 5 rotary machine guns were captured. That night, Riverili finally joined forces with the main French army retreating from Taiyuan. When the main commander of the French army, he saw the embarrassed appearance of the commander. Hearing that a terrifying army had appeared in Hanoi and had taken the city of Hanoi overnight, everyone was stunned.

"This army has powerful artillery, strange uniforms, and well-trained soldiers with highly skilled tactical skills. They are not the Black Flag Army, nor the Annam Army, nor even the Qing Army that we are familiar with. Frankly, God doesn't know where they came from, and the preliminary estimate is that the army that captured Hanoi had at least 5,000 troops, or even 10,000 troops. Riverley's depressed statement made everyone even more confused. At this time, a general stood up and said, "Commander, where did this army come from, and did it make it difficult for them to fall from the sky?" ”

"They didn't fall from the sky, they didn't come out of the earth, they came from the sea," Rivelly let out of a long sigh. It is certain that they landed somewhere in the south, and if I am not mistaken, they came prepared, and they were the private army of the Great Qing State. It should be said that they know everything we do, and we don't know anything about them. Now our only way out is to go to Beiguang to join Sabel's troops, and then advance to Haiphong, which is our only way out. ”

"Commander Lone will definitely send troops to our rescue," one general cheered. "Idiot! Reinforcements are still on the way, and maybe we'll be the ones to be fooled in. Now that we can only rely on ourselves, I order the troops to advance lightly and quickly assault the North Light. "There is no doubt about Rivelly." Your Excellency, General, you have to lose your weight! "Carrying a heavy weight can affect the speed of the march, and now time is the difference between success and failure for us." The French army threw away the weight and took to the road with field veterans, rapid-fire guns, and machine guns.

In the camp of the Qing army in Zhennanguan, Feng Zicai has been in a state of tension for several days. The French army easily occupied Liangshan, which put him under tremendous pressure. originally wanted to deal with the fleeing generals of the Dian army, but the generals of the Dian army were not his direct subordinate troops, and now was the time to employ people, if the generals of the Dian army were killed by rectifying military discipline, it would inevitably cause dissatisfaction. Fortunately, the French army did not attack again after occupying Liangshan, which made Feng Zicai a lot more stable. The king of Annam ran to Gaoping and told him to enter the territory of the Great Qing Kingdom to take refuge.

He didn't dare to make decisions about this kind of thing, so he had to report it to Xiangshang, and the information from the court did not come back at the moment. He knew that after the French army occupied Liangshan, the next step would definitely be a large-scale attack, so he ordered his troops to strengthen their vigilance. "My lord! My lord! "A general hurried in." What are you panicking, the French army has attacked! Feng Zicai frowned dissatisfiedly. My lord, I have just received a report that the French army has suddenly withdrawn from Liangshan. "What do you say, the French army withdrew from Liangshan, is the source accurate?" "It was reported by the 8th Battalion of the Gui Army, and they have now been stationed in Liangshan."

Feng Zicai was a little confused and said: "Order the 8th Battalion of the Gui Army to find out the movements of the French army." "Yes!" The generals were ordered to leave. The sudden withdrawal of the French army shows that a change has occurred, otherwise why did the French army withdraw for no reason? The imperial court strictly ordered the French army to return fire if it launched an attack, but it was not allowed to attack the French army without authorization. This kind of passive defense, Feng Zicai is very depressed. But there was no choice but to let it go.

Liu Yongfu led his troops to Yen Bai, and two days later learned that Hanoi had been lost. Fortunately, he was grateful that Leng Yifei had suffered it on his behalf, and his heart was very sad. There is no need to guess that Leng Yifei may also suffer heavy losses, because he has learned the strong combat effectiveness of this French army, so he naturally thinks of Leng Yifei's misery. After Hanoi was occupied by the French, Liu Yongfu prepared to lead his troops to retreat to Lao Cai. Shocked to hear that the French army did not come in this direction, but pointed in the direction of Taiyuan, Liu Yongfu decided to take a look.

On this day, Liu Yongfu was closing his eyes and recuperating. I saw military advisors Tang Jingsong and Wu Fengdian hurrying in. Liu Yongfu stood up in surprise and asked, "The French army is coming to attack!" "My lord, it's not the French army that is attacking, but Hanoi is occupied by a so-called military and civilian army!" "What did you say?" Tang Jingsong said: "General, the news is conclusive. According to the report of the spies. The army was strangely dressed, armed with a large number of artillery pieces, and armed with new rifles. There were about five or six thousand men, estimated to be private troops. I wonder if the lord you said has appeared? ”