Chen Jintang said: "It has been confirmed that it was the British military adviser who led 50,000 Qing troops to flee to Macheng. Ordered the 7th and 9th Field Divisions to quickly advance to Xiaogan without stopping, and according to the reconnaissance Xiaogan, there were 5,000 Qing troops defending the city, and they should quickly capture Xiaogan. At present, the 1st and 5th Divisions have suffered heavy losses and are very tired from the continuous main attack, so they are temporarily resting and recuperating. The 11th Division pursued in the direction of Macheng and forced the Qing army to retreat into Anhui. ”

Chen Jintang continued: "Deputy Commander Li, the commander-in-chief before the war repeatedly emphasized that he would do everything possible to eat the Japanese troops in Suizhou. We learned that the Japanese army in Suizhou was 8,000 men, and the Qing army had 10,000 troops. The 2nd Division of your division fought continuously and pulled down to rest and recuperate, and the 10th and 12th Divisions of your division were all lightly armed and took the lead in secretly advancing towards Suizhou, and they must make a detour back to the east and north of Suizhou to prevent little Japan from escaping. Your 4th and 8th Divisions and Artillery Brigade will follow, and I will use 4 divisions to eat this group of daring dwarf slaves cleanly and completely. "Yes! I immediately deploy it. ”

"After the cavalry division crossed the river, they were ordered to immediately advance west along the north of the river, to quickly occupy Yichang and open up contact with Sichuan. Chief of Staff Wang, your 3rd Division is resting, and the other four divisions are quickly attacking to the northwest, to form an oppressive situation against Xiangyang, which is heavily defended by the Qing army, and at the same time, it is also to paralyze the Qing army and create conditions for us to eat Little Japan in Suizhou. "Yes!" Wang Feng raised his hand and saluted a military salute and turned to leave.

On April 16, after a day and a night of attacking, the 7th and 9th divisions successfully took Xiaogan, and the 5,000 Qing troops defending Xiaogan escaped and the rest were all wiped out. In order not to irritate the Suizhou side, Chen Jintang ordered the 7th and 9th Field Divisions to rest in situ after occupying Xiaogan. Li Tianxiang was ordered to speed up the military deployment of the Suizhou side, and there must be no mistake.

At present, all the Jiangbei urban areas of Wuhan are in the bag, and a large number of captured officers and soldiers of the Qing army must be sent to Jiangnan for reorganization. The officers of the Qing army above the general level were collectively imprisoned, and the soldiers were brainwashed for three months to six months, and the haode who performed could be used as a supplementary soldier to join the Northern Expeditionary Army. It was really not haode, and it was sent to the Guangxi road construction army for labor reform. The Qing army detained all captured officers above the general level.

After receiving the news that Min and his entourage had committed suicide and that the Jiangbei city of Wuhan had been captured, Liu Mingchuan was very shocked and did not expect it to come too quickly, although he was prepared. Seeing Liu Mingchuan, his subordinates were silent and said: "My lord, Xiangyang is a strategic location, it is our turn to take the next step, we currently have 300,000 troops in Xiangyang, and we can fight a battle." One of his subordinates reassured. Liu Mingchuan looked at his subordinates and said: "It turns out that the powerful attack of the Northern Expeditionary Army cannot be stopped, and it is a question of how long we can hold on, so we should immediately report the situation to the capital, so that Lord Li can understand the real situation." ”

Liu Mingchuan's inner self-confidence was once again shattered by the ruthless facts, the strength of the Northern Expeditionary Army, and its powerful offensive ability did not need to prove anything. I thought that I could hold on to the front line in Wuhan for at least 3 months, but I didn't expect to see it in 6 days. In fact, Liu Mingchuan had no confidence in the defense of the Yangtze River in Wuhan, and the hard facts convinced him.

A few months ago, Li Hongzhang conducted a rigorous and meticulous analysis of Zuo Zongtang's defeat in Sichuan. believes that Zuo Zongtang's defeat is not a light enemy, but the fact that the Hunan army under his command still maintains its inherent combat methods and sticks to the rules. Especially when the Northern Expeditionary Army launched a surprise attack on the Yalong River, as a means of the era of hot weapons, Zuo Zongtang did not expect it. Li Hongzhang pointed out that this is not Zuo Zongtang's fault, but that Zuo Zongtang's military thinking is still stuck in the era of cold weapons.

Li Hongzhang warned Liu Mingchuan that he must have a correct understanding of the strength of the Northern Expeditionary Army. Even if the Yangtze River defense line cannot be held, do not lose confidence. Li Hongzhang analyzed Hong Xiuquan from the defeat of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and believed that the Taiping army was so good at that time and what was the end of Zuihou. The Northern Expeditionary Army was indeed stronger than the Taiping Army, but the current situation and the opposing sides have also undergone major changes. He also said that Western countries would never allow a heroic man with a bitter hatred for foreigners to appear on the land of China.

Li Hongzhang firmly believed that even if the Northern Expeditionary Army entered Jiangbei, with the elongation of the battle line and the continuous strengthening of the foreign military, the offensive of the Northern Expeditionary Army would be exhausted. Li Hongzhang said that the worst result is that with the help of foreigners, Zuihou may form a pattern of northern and southern dynasties, so Li Hongzhang asked him to be full of confidence. It can be said that Li Hongzhang's analysis is in place, but the opponent is a character who has turned decay into magic, how could he think of that?

But the most unacceptable thing is that when the war started, the Wuhan Yangtze River defense line was wiped out in just 6 days, which made Liu Mingchuan not only depressed and depressed, but even had problems with his self-confidence. What kind of character is Deng Zixuan, is it really the Ming Lord who has only appeared for thousands of years? As a martial artist, it is impossible for Liu Mingchuan to come to a conclusion based on comprehensive consideration, out of worship of Li Hongzhang, he still firmly believes in Li Hongzhang's wisdom.

Seeing that Liu Mingchuan was silent, his subordinates did not dare to make noise easily. The soldiers will come to block and the water will cover the earth, and it is inevitable that the next Northern Expeditionary Army will point to Xiangfan. The news has been passed to the capital, and the next step is how to resist the large-scale attack of the Northern Expeditionary Army. "Report to your lord, Chen Jintang, deputy commander-in-chief of the Northern Expeditionary Army, sent someone to deliver a letter!" A subordinate came in in a panic, breaking the suffocating silence.

Liu Ming was shocked when he heard the rumors, and hurriedly took the letter to check it. I saw that the letter wrote: "General Liu, the Northern Expeditionary Army has conquered the Wuhan Yangtze River defense line. The impregnable Yangtze River defense line, which was propagated by the Qing court, became history in just 6 days, and I don't know how General Liu felt. I want to tell you that no liliang can stop the footsteps of the Northern Expeditionary Army, the Qing court does not think about it, and the foreigners do not think about it, and ······ do not think about it. As a soldier, I admire General Liu's personality, but at the same time I feel sad for General Liu. It's still the old saying, those who know the times are Junjie. Let's go to Xiangfan City Zaijian! "Signed, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Expeditionary Army, Chen Jintang.

"My lord! Could it be the Northern Expeditionary Army's letter of persuasion? One of his subordinates asked in surprise. Liu Mingchuan put down the letter and sneered: "It's not a letter of persuasion to surrender, it's a declaration of war, this is a psychological tactic to play." I, Liu Mingchuan, have been destined to be a golden iron horse and a blood-stained battlefield since I put on my battle robe. Rather than for the jade to be broken, it is the destination of my zuihou! ”

The Guangzhou Military Government was full of joy, and everyone had a happy smile on their faces. "Commander-in-chief, the victory of the first battle of the Middle Route Corps is really gratifying. Unexpectedly, street battles broke out in the city, and it seems that the Qing army has become smart under the training of foreigners! Pei Gejin said. It was my responsibility for the outbreak of street fighting in the urban area of Wuhan, and I did not expect it beforehand, and the responsibility for the greater losses lies with me, so I should have thought of it. Deng Zixuan blamed himself.

"Could it be that the commander-in-chief has long known about street fighting?" Pei Gejin asked in surprise. Deng Zixuan hurriedly covered up: "You forgot that I know foreign languages, and the examples of street battles were seen in foreign military books. Regarding this street fighting, Chen Jintang should be ordered to sum up his experience and then popularize it throughout the army. In addition, major newspapers were notified to broadcast the news of Wuhan's victory, so as to enhance the confidence of the people of Lebanon. ”

"Good! I'll do it right away! Pei Gejin walked a few steps and seemed to remember something, and then said: "Commander-in-chief, Chen Jintang reports." He was ready to use four divisions to eat the Japanese army in Suizhou, and in order to prevent the Japanese troops from escaping, the two divisions had already taken the lead in dispatching lightly. "Tell Chen Jintang that the spirit of bushido in the Japanese army is deeply rooted in the bone marrow, and their soldiers do not lack bravery and dedication, so they cannot be careless. For the Japanese soldiers who would rather die and resist, they should be killed without mercy, and they must be completely crushed spiritually. Pei Gejin felt that Deng Zixuan seemed to have a deep hatred with the Japanese, which made him puzzled.

In the capital Bauhinia City, after listening to Li Hongzhang's report, the Empress Dowager Cixi was surprised and said angrily: "Lord Li, the 200,000 army defending the front line of Wuhan was broken by the Northern Expeditionary Army in a few days, and the 150,000 army was wiped out, how do you explain it?" Li Hongzhang stood with his hands drooping and said calmly: "Queen Mother, it is difficult for your subordinates to hold her responsible, please punish the Queen Mother!" ”

Empress Dowager Cixi glanced at Yi, and Yi shook her head. The Empress Dowager Cixi's attitude became gentle: "Lord Li, Liu Mingchuan should be severely punished as the main general!" "Queen Mother, the current situation is critical, and it is taboo to change generals and soldiers in battle. I have instructed Liu Mingchuan to defend the strategic location of Xiangyang, and if he does not succeed, he will become a benevolent! "That's it! The mourning family is tired, and you should discuss the major affairs of the military state! The Empress Dowager Cixi gave the order to expel the guests, waving her hand very tiredly.

Walking out of the Empress Dowager Cixi's palace and coming to the military aircraft, Li Hongzhang said: "Lord, the current situation in Hubei is better to be suppressed, so as not to shake the government and the opposition and the people's hearts to be unstable!" Yi nodded and said, "What the adults said is extremely true, but what is the attitude of the foreigners this time?" "Regarding the loss of the defense line of the Yangtze River in Hubei, the commander of the coalition forces, McMahon, was unusual, and actually comforted me, I don't know what kind of medicine is sold in the gourd." "Is it so hard that foreigners want to withdraw their troops?" Yi was taken aback.

Li Hongzhang shook his head and said: "No, at present, the foreigners are no longer able to withdraw, as evidenced by the fact that the German Empire sent 5,000 additional soldiers in Tianjin not long ago." In addition, the imperial court agreed that the Germans would open up a concession in Qingdao, and the next step for the Germans to garrison troops in Qingdao also proved that Western countries would not retreat, especially the huge interests of foreigners would not give up. But militarily, I feel that foreigners don't trust us anymore. ”

"You mean that the foreigners are going to fight directly against the Northern Expeditionary Army? That's good news! "It is highly likely, if this is the case, the foreigners will continue to increase their troops!" Li Hongzhang showed a calculating side.