Chapter 20 Bloody Land (This chapter is free)

The sun stares coldly at the lively ground from the west. The red river, the black clouds, the flashing light, the splashing flesh and blood, and the dancing god of death. Human beings are the most addicted and proficient animals in the world to kill each other. God created human beings

, just to let humans kill in front of him for fun?

Nogi Nogi's meat bomb attack entered a critical moment.

When the time came to attack, the officers in the trenches raised their sabers, and the soldiers leveled their rifles with bayonets. One of every ten riflemen had a rising sun flag hanging under his rifle, and the entire skirmisher line was held high by a central flag bearer.

The battle flag that stood tall as a person served as a spiritual pillar. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the order to attack. Accompanied by the rumbling sound of artillery on the Qing army's position opposite, Lieutenant Colonel Shimizu Haruga, the frontline commander of the third wave of skirmishers, finally issued an attack signal: "

Long live the Emperor! March forward!"

"Long live the Emperor!"

The thunderous cries shook everyone's eardrums, the trenches were left behind, fear was killed by fanaticism, cowardice was destroyed by fanaticism, hesitation was crushed by fanaticism, and a burning heart will not allow people to retain excess emotions.

Explosives and bullets will not allow people to retain extra lives.

As soon as the third wave of Japanese skirmishers ran out of the trenches less than 200 meters away, the Qing army's blocking artillery fire immediately fell accurately. Complete and incomplete human bodies began to take off, glide, and fall in the air. Those who died on the spot were

The people who could still moan kept making noises, but their voices were completely covered up by the explosion of the shells, and they were almost non-existent.

The fourth wave of skirmishers stepped on the dead bodies and wounded soldiers on the ground to follow up the attack. Commander Shimakawa Sosan was blown into dust by a heavy artillery shell less than three minutes after leaving the trench. Most of his soldiers did not know

, regardless of whether there is a commander or not, just follow the people in front and rush forward.

After Nogi saw the fourth wave of skirmishers set off, the Qing army's artillery fire began to retreat and concentrated on the banks of the Nakagawa River to block and fire. Feeling that the time had come, he drew his saber and personally led the 800 selected loyal troops.

The team members, all wearing white cloth belts with a red rising sun and the word "Must Win" written on their heads, with their chests exposed and only sabers and rifles with bayonets attached, jumped out of the trenches and rushed towards the Qing army's positions.

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In the artillery command post of the Qing Army, Lieutenant Colonel Hu Jingfeng, the commander of the artillery regiment of the Second Division of the Imperial Guard, saw the enemy troops approaching fiercely. Although he was anxious, he still commanded the artillery in an orderly manner to transfer firepower in a timely manner and block the fire at every level. At this time

, some officers and soldiers of the Japanese army's third wave of skirmishers had already passed through the artillery fire blockade and crossed the Zhongchuan River. On the one hand, they were approaching the Qing army's forward position, and on the other hand, they entered the Qing army's artillery shooting restricted area. Hu Jingwei was stunned.

Scolding: "Damn it, why can't I shoot accurately? Send me the order! All firepower is concentrated in the No. 5 area on the Zhongchuan water bank, with a distance of 3700 meters. The various elements are fixed and fired continuously. They are not allowed to stop without my order!"

On the artillery position behind, the artillery officers and soldiers were working in full swing. The ammunition feeder was carrying dozens of kilograms of artillery shells and shouting a slogan to the loader. The loader clicked the bullet into the chamber and shouted: "This is for the dog."

Emperor!" and then closed the gun door with a "click". Every time a gunner pulled the firing rope, he shouted "The emperor is a motherfucker!", and the other gunner next to him alternately used "Eat".

"One shot for a man" and "Hit his son of a bitch".

The Qing army's blazing artillery fire caused huge damage to the Japanese army. However, because the Qing army's infantry positions were repeatedly ransacked by Japanese artillery fire, the main firepower points suffered considerable losses. The defenders suffered heavy casualties and the blocking firepower was insufficient. Seeing that the Japanese army's superior force was approaching the position.

"Brothers! Fix your bayonet and fight with the enemy!" Major Su Sanling, commander of the first battalion, grabbed a rifle, fixed his bayonet himself, took the lead in jumping out of the trench, and led the entire battalion to kill more than 200 men who could still fight.

toward the enemy.

The officers and soldiers of the two armies formed a group in front of the trenches, fighting each other. The bright light reflected by the bayonets and sabers were quickly covered with blood. The roars of those who took out the swords were mixed with the painful screams of those who were hit by the swords.

Up and down the position.

As soon as Battalion Commander Su Sanling came down from his position, he sidestepped and passed the assassination attempt of a Japanese soldier. He rushed forward with his body, exerted his strength with his arm, and stabbed the enemy soldier in the throat.

Several Japanese soldiers on the side saw the two bars and one star carried on the shoulders of Battalion Commander Su, and knew that he was the frontline commander. They rushed towards him with strange screams in their mouths.

Battalion Commander Su calmly responded to the challenge. First, with a powerful movement of raising his hand, he deflected the bayonet of the Japanese soldier who was charging straight at him. With a backhand thrust, a hole was opened in the Japanese soldier's belly. As Battalion Commander Su quickly drew out the bayonet,

The Japanese soldier screamed and fell down while holding the gushing intestines in his hands.

Two Japanese soldiers rushed towards Su Sanling, one on the left and the other on the right. Battalion Commander Su took the initiative and rushed to the left to face the Japanese soldiers. He used all his strength to slap the middle of the rifle in the Japanese soldier's hand.

Damn it, the rifle flew four or five meters away. Before he could dodge, Battalion Commander Su's bayonet had been accurately inserted into his heart. As soon as Battalion Commander Su pulled out the bleeding bayonet, the Japanese soldiers were already approaching behind him.

He didn't have time to turn back and block, so he rolled on the spot to avoid the Japanese soldier's powerful thrust. At the same time, he touched his waist with his hand. When he rolled over, he happened to be face to face with the Japanese soldier.

As soon as he lifted it up, he pulled the trigger, and all three 7.63mm revolver bullets hit the Japanese soldier's chest. The Japanese soldier's body went limp and he fell forward. His head wearing a gray military cap was touching Su Sanling.

soles of feet.

When Su Sanling stood up, he saw another large group of enemy soldiers approaching. He licked his lips and shouted, "Come here, you little devils. Let's see how grandpa deals with you!" He led several soldiers from the guard platoon around him.

Heading towards hundreds of enemy soldiers.

When Nogi Nogi's 800 Meiji loyal troops passed through the Qing army's artillery blockade and set foot on the north bank of Zhongchuan River at the cost of one-third of the troops' casualties, Lieutenant Colonel Xiao Lieri, commander of the 10th Imperial Guards Regiment of the Qing army, had already led the final

The 350 reserve troops launched a counterattack against the fourth wave of Japanese skirmishers.

After a fierce fight, the officers and soldiers of the fourth wave of Japanese skirmishers who finally rushed to the Qing army's forward position saw a terrifying scene. An officer held a Qinglong Yueyue knife that was as long as two people in both hands and rushed in front.

In addition to bayonets, the large group of officers and soldiers also had traditional cold weapons such as broadswords, spears, long knives, and long axes. Everyone was naked from the waist up, shouting loudly, and rushed towards them like a gust of wind sweeping the ground.

Lieutenant Colonel Xiao Lieri, who loves to practice martial arts and strengthen his body, carries out traditional martial arts training among the officers and soldiers of the regiment on weekdays. Even when he goes to the battlefield, he does not forget to bring various traditional weapons for practice. Now at this critical moment, Xiao Lieri is out of the

Considering the close combat, some reserve officers and soldiers were equipped with these weapons. The Japanese soldiers had been practicing foreign skills with rifles for a long time, and they had long lost the skills of swords and guns. When they suddenly saw majestic long knives and axes nearby, they couldn't help but feel frightened.

Most of the superior officers died in the battle, and no one organized a formation to shoot. Only a few shots were fired sporadically, and they were forced to fight in a melee with the Qing soldiers.

Xiao Lieri danced the Qinglong Yueyue sword in a lifelike manner. The sixty-eight-pound sword cut off the head of a Japanese soldier with one stroke, and then chopped a Japanese officer holding a thin Japanese sword into two pieces from the waist.

, slashed off a Japanese soldier's entire arm with an oblique knife, and cut an officer in half from head to crotch with an upright knife. A Japanese soldier raised his rifle horizontally and tried to block it, but was chopped in half by Xiao Lieri's sword and gun.

After all, the rifle played a buffering role. The broadsword slanted down from the Japanese soldier's neck to his right chest, with only half a finger of flesh remaining under the knife. Xiao Lieri raised his head upwards, pulled out the blade, and blood spurted out in all directions.

Flying away, the Japanese soldier's head and half of his body were tilted to one side, and the internal organs in his abdomen were exposed. The Japanese soldiers around him were so shocked that they forgot about the spirit of Bushido they often preached, and turned around and ran away with their rifles in hand.

"Charge!" Xiao Lieri and his men were eager to fight. They chased after them with blood-stained weapons and cut down dozens of slow-running Japanese soldiers. They were colliding head-on with the Meiji loyal troops led by Nogi Nogi Nogi.

.

Although Nogi has always been a fierce fighter, after all, he has been in battle for a long time. Seeing that the Qing army was in great momentum, he did not dare to go forward to fight in hand-to-hand combat. He hurriedly ordered the front team to squat down and fire. One row fired at the Qing army.

He fell to pieces. Xiao Lieri was hit by a bullet in his left arm and right leg. He was covered by the guards and carried back to the rear. The momentum of the whole army suddenly decreased. Nogi commanded his men to fire two consecutive salvos, killing half of the officers and soldiers of the Qing army's reserve force.

Above, they all shouted "Long live the Emperor" and charged forward with courage. The Qing army was unable to support it and began to retreat. Behind them were the regiment headquarters and artillery positions. The situation was suddenly like a weak candle in the wind, and the Qing army's front was facing total collapse.

"Infantry, get out of the way!", a shout accompanied by the sound of horse hooves came from the rear of the position. The remaining infantry of the 10th Guards Regiment looked back and saw dust flying, sabers shining, flags fluttering, and a white

The large golden characters on the battle flag are dazzling: "The Second Guards Division Cavalry Regiment".

It turned out that after Zhong Xiahuo, commander of the Second Imperial Guard Division, received a report from Xiao Lieri asking for reinforcements, he accurately judged that the Japanese army was trying to attack with all their strength before the reinforcements of the Qing army arrived to open up the situation. If infantry was sent to support, it would be a waste of time for the fighter.

Then he personally gave an order to Lieutenant Colonel Xiang Lan, the commander of the division's cavalry regiment, and ordered him to lead the entire cavalry regiment without stopping and rush to the Zhonghe front line to support the battle.

As soon as Lieutenant Colonel Xiang Lan's Guards Cavalry Regiment appeared, the situation on the battlefield immediately changed drastically. More than a thousand Qing Guards Cavalry were like wind and clouds, rushing Nogi's hundreds of loyal troops to pieces in the blink of an eye.

The saber passed by, heads rolled, blood shot into the sky, horses' hooves stepped down, bones were broken and flesh was rotten, and screams were heard. Within a few minutes, the members of the Japanese loyalty team on the battlefield were either dead or injured, and the few Japanese soldiers who raised their hands to surrender were actually killed.

The excited Qing cavalry all cut off their hands.

The commander of the Japanese fifth brigade, Major General Nogi Nogi Nogi, had his head dislocated and was soaked in blood. Who hacked him to death? The Qing army themselves could not find out who it was afterward, but that was not important. He was born out of personal heroism.

A commander who wastes soldiers' lives wantonly does not deserve the respect of his opponents.

Behind the Japanese position on the south bank of Nakagawa, Lieutenant General Oshima Yoshimasa of the 3rd Division held up the binoculars and his face became darker and darker. Finally, he threw the binoculars down the hillside and waved to the correspondent: "Order the Cavalry Regiment

, Immediately form a team to attack, and be sure to drive the Qing army off the position!" After the communication troops had gone away, Oshima Yoshimasa pulled out his saber and struck the ground, saying hysterically: "Nogi Nogi! You dead pig!"

At this time, the sky was almost dusk, and the sunset in the west was like blood and raging fire. Under the red light, more than a thousand Japanese cavalry came out of the avenue, their iron-clad horse hoofs trampling on the countless abandoned remains on the battlefield.

Bones were broken into pieces, the sound of sabers being unsheathed was sonorous and clear, and the shouts of charging and killing were heard like a "tide", all of which were quickly wiped out by the roaring artillery fire and bullets flying like locusts.

A war horse's front hooves were high, and then it fell to one side. The cavalry on the horse fell heavily to the ground, struggled to get up, and was suddenly hit by several machine gun bullets. After the body shook violently, he raised his hands and fell on his back. The same scene,

It keeps repeating itself as time slowly moves forward.

Lieutenant Colonel Xiang Lan, the commander of the Qing cavalry regiment, was well prepared. As soon as the Japanese infantry was driven off the position, he ordered his subordinates to quickly pull heavy machine guns and machine guns and place them on the position. The cavalry dismounted and entered the trenches to prepare for the enemy's counterattack.

This measure later proved to be very correct. The Japanese cavalry regiment suffered most of its casualties under intensive and accurate sniper fire. Three cavalry squadron captains were killed. The regiment commander Kasanobu Koga was hit by three bullets. Fortunately, his subordinates fought to protect him.

, saved from death. At this point, the Japanese army was forced to stop the attack due to exhaustion of troops. The Qing army was busy reorganizing and deploying, strengthening defense, and did not launch a counterattack. On August 3, 1894, the bloody battle on the Zhonghe front line ended with the total number of the two armies defeated.

It ended with more than 9,000 casualties. The total ratio of killed to injured was 7 to 2, which shows the brutality of the war. Among them, the Japanese army lost 6,072 killed in action, and the Qing army also paid 1,140 killed in action.

The Price of Eleven. The Japanese Fifth Brigade was reduced by more than 70% and lost its offensive power. The remaining troops were transferred back to Seoul to take charge of city defense. The Qing Army's Tenth Guards Regiment was also reduced by more than 80% and was forced to return to China for rest. The bloody battle ended with neutralization.

The Japanese commander started out recklessly, and the fight between the two armies was famous for its fierceness and cruelty. The Japanese army suffered huge casualties in the end. From the overall perspective of the Korean War, it was another turning point for the Qing army's land operations from defense to offense.

On the night of August 3, the 1st Brigade of the 1st Guards Division, the second batch of Qing troops entering North Korea, arrived in North Korea. On the same day, the General Staff of the Qing Army ordered the establishment of the Northern Army Corps, with Major General Zhong Xiahuo as its commander, to uniformly dispatch troops from Seoul and beyond.

The troops entering North Korea.

The Japanese imperial base camp in Nagasaki did not receive news of the disastrous defeat in neutralization for the time being. The Japanese army continued to increase its troops to North Korea according to the original plan, and sent a combined fleet to Dadonggou in an attempt to intercept the Qing army's ships carrying troops entering North Korea from the sea.

Boat.

On August 5, 1894, the Japanese 7th Division landed in Busan after the 3rd and 6th Divisions. On the same day, the main force of the Qing Zhenyang Fleet covered the 11th and 12th Regiments of the 4th Brigade of the 2nd Guards Division.

and the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Guards Division landed at Dadonggou to support Pyongyang from the sea.

It was early in the morning in the Dadonggou Sea. Rear Admiral Liu Buchan, Commander-in-Chief of the Qing Imperial Navy, stood on the command platform of the bridge of the battleship "Longwei", the flagship of the Zhenyang Fleet, surrounded by the elite of the Imperial Navy's elite.

On the left side of Major General Liu Buchan stood Commodore Lin Taizeng, the commander of the Zhenyang Fleet 1st Division. After the defeat in the Battle of Incheon, he wrote to the General Staff, requesting to take the blame and resign. Chief of General Staff Liu Yun ordered: "No, this failure is the fault of the General Staff

"Except for the captain who escaped from the battle and was executed in public, there is no reason for the frontline commanders to be held accountable." He still retained his position as commander of the Beiyang Fleet and was newly appointed deputy commander of the Zhenyang Fleet. This time the Zhenyang Fleet attacked.

, Brigadier General Lin Taizeng is still stationed on the reserve flagship battleship "Dingyuan". If the mast of the flagship flagship is damaged or the commander-in-chief is unable to perform his duties normally, he will take over the command.

On Rear Admiral Liu Buchan's right are the captains of the four armored battleships. From near to far, they are Captain Sa Zhenbing, captain of "Longwei", Colonel Yan Fu, captain of "Fengxiang", Colonel Yang Yonglin, captain of "Dingyuan", "

"Zhenyuan" Captain Lin Yingqi.

Commander-in-Chief Liu is also followed by Lieutenant Colonel Jiang Chaoying, the commando commander who is the first batch of students at Mawei Naval Academy and the first batch of international students to study at the Royal Naval Academy. He is on board the new cruiser "Blast" during this sortie.

", is responsible for commanding a total of eight "Wind" class cruisers with the same maximum speed of 21, namely "Blast", "Gale Wind", "Chasing Wind", "Hurricane", "Super Wind", and "Gust Wind".

"Sea Breeze", "Japanese Breeze". The task of the commando team is to block the Japanese first guerrilla force and prevent it from rushing into our own team's formation, so that our own team can concentrate on attacking the Japanese army.

Behind Lieutenant Colonel Jiang Chaoying is Lieutenant Colonel Liu Guanxiong, deputy commander of the commando force and captain of the "Gale Wind". He belongs to the second batch of students studying in the UK. Although he has less qualifications than Jiang Chaoying and others, due to his excellent academic performance, he served in the Beiyang Fleet after returning to China.

His outstanding performance during his service earned him the favor of Chief of Staff Liu Yun and Commander-in-Chief Liu Buchan, so he was reused in this sortie.

On the left side of Liu Guanxiong stand Colonel Huang Jianxun, commander of the armored patrol and captain of the armored cruiser "Jianbei" (Mawei Phase 1 and the first batch of students studying in the UK), and deputy commander of the armored patrol and armored cruiser "Jiannan"

Captain Cheng Biguang, Lieutenant Colonel Cheng Biguang. In addition to "Jianbei" and "Jiannan", the installation patrol team commanded by the two also includes the three ships "Jiyuan", "Xinyuan" and "Hengyuan"; on the right is the ship No.

Lieutenant Colonel Dai Bokang, commander of the first convoy and captain of the cruiser "Nanchen", is responsible for commanding the two ships "Nanchen" and "Nari" transferred from the Ocean Fleet for support; Commander of the second convoy and the cruiser "Yangwei"

Lieutenant Colonel Lin Lvzhong, the captain of the "Guangjia", has two ships under his command, "Yang Wei" and "Super Brave"; Major Wu Jingrong, commander of the third convoy and captain of the gunboat "Guangjia", is responsible for commanding the Nanyang "Guangjia" and "Guangyi"

"Second Ship. In this sortie, the armored patrol team was organized into the formation of the main team to follow and support the four armored battleships in the duel with the enemy team. The three escort teams were dispersed throughout the seaport and were responsible for sentry and direct cover.

Army loading and unloading ashore.

This huge fleet led by Major General Liu Buchan, Commander-in-Chief of the Navy and Commander of the Zhenyang Fleet, has 23 large and small warships, including almost all the main ships of the Qing Empire from cruisers to above. Such a fleet left the military port and gathered on the coast of North Korea. Of course,

Not just to support the Army's landing operations.

Major General Liu Buchan recalled his meeting with Major General Yang Zhengjin, Director of the General Staff Operations Division, before departure.

On that day, Yang Zhengjin personally took a warship to the Lushun military port and briefed Liu Buchan on behalf of Chief of General Staff Liu Yun.

"——This time the General Staff organized the second Dadonggou landing operation, firstly, to increase troops from the sea to Pyongyang as planned, and secondly, to lure the Japanese combined fleet to attack, annihilate it in one fell swoop, and change the situation on the entire battlefield."

"Director Yang, I have a question. What if the Japanese army doesn't come to Dadonggou to fight me decisively?"

"Then immediately after completing the task of supporting the army's landing, turn south and go to Incheon to search for the enemy for a decisive battle. If the main force of the Japanese army is still not found in Incheon, you can go south to search for the enemy until you 'insert' into the Busan Port and cut off the Japanese army in North Korea.

Supply lines across the strait."

"I understand. There is another question. How can the General Staff be sure that our army will be able to annihilate the Japanese combined fleet in this battle?"

"——This is not the General Staff's problem, but your problem. The General Staff just gave you a task, and your responsibilities require you to complete it. That's all. Have I made it clear?"

"Yes--"

"Your Excellency, Commander, the rise and fall of the empire, and the battle here, Chief of Staff Liu asked me to tell you that he believes in the strength of the imperial fleet, and even more believes in your command ability."

"Please tell Chief of Staff Liu that I, Liu Buchan, will lead the attack this time. If I don't succeed, I will sacrifice my life and be loyal to the empire to the end!"

"Your Excellency, Commander, a plume of smoke was spotted from the southwest!"

Liu Buchan quickly dismissed his memories, raised his telescope and followed what Brigadier General Lin Taizen had expected. Sure enough, he found a plume of smoke, and there were more than one plume.

"Get to your stations! Sound the battle alarm!"

After hearing the order, all the officers were about to return to their posts when they suddenly heard Commander Liu yelling: "The rise and fall of the empire depends on this battle. Please work hard and fight to the end!"

Everyone turned around, and after stopping for a moment, they all drew their sabers and pointed to the sky, shouting in unison: "Long live the Empire! Long live the Imperial Navy!"

Countless rays of sunlight cut through the morning gray clouds like sharp knives, and then tore the remaining cloud fragments into pieces. Finally, the dazzling sunlight poured down without any obstruction, falling straight to the mast of the battleship "Longwei"
Chapter completed!