At the end of December 1876, the Ming Dynasty, which had already reached the city of Sao Paulo, once again rejected Brazil's request for peace. After several days of fierce bombardment, the Ming Empire's 80,000-strong army launched an attack on the defense lines outside the city of Sao Paulo from all directions.
It took less than three days for the nearly 60,000 defenders to raise the white flag at the cost of more than half of their casualties.
At the same time, the Imperial Army finally arrived 50 kilometers west of Rio de Janeiro, where it encountered the first interception by the Brazilian army.
The Brazilian army's resistance was extremely tenacious, and it can even be said that it exceeded the expectations of the frontline officers and soldiers.
Machine guns, barbed wire, and even large-caliber heavy artillery.
In the past few months, the Brazilian army mobilized nearly one million troops to resist the Ming Dynasty's "invasion". Although a large number of troops were wiped out in training camps by airship troops, many troops suffered devastating blows from airships during the movement.
, but in Rio de Janeiro, more than 300,000 Brazilian troops still gathered.
Although this army was mostly composed of freed black slaves, their resistance was very resolute, because every Brazilian knew what it would mean if they failed.
"If we fail, we will have nothing!"
Emperor Pedro II replied in front of his ministers.
"When Napoleon I sent troops to invade Portugal in 1807, the regent João VI could lead the nobles and officials to board British warships and take refuge in Brazil. But what about now?"
Although he looked a little anxious, Pedro II's eyes were still very firm.
"Now, we can't leave the whole country and flee to Portugal. When we get there, we will lose everything - all wealth, land and status. We are just poor, nothing more than exiles. We, now, must
We must defend Rio de Janeiro at all costs. This is our last fortress and our last stronghold. As long as we can defend here, we can preserve our country..."
Looking at the marshals and generals in the conference room, Pedro II forced a smile.
"You know, losers have no power to negotiate. This is why the Ming Dynasty refuses to negotiate with us. We must defeat them here, otherwise, there will be absolutely no possibility of survival!"
There is no possibility of survival!
At this time, for Brazil, they no longer dared to dream about victory. As long as they could maintain the survival of the empire, it didn't even matter if they ceded land.
The only problem is... Daming refused!
Because the winner may swallow the whole of Brazil!
"Well, gentlemen, for the sake of Brazil's survival, God willing, I hope we can hit them hard here!"
Every Brazilian is mobilized!
Faced with the invasion from the Ming Dynasty and the precarious situation, all Brazilians mobilized. Men in and around Rio de Janeiro took up arms, and slaves from every plantation for hundreds of kilometers were recruited.
Since then, slaves have dug trenches and built fortifications around Rio de Janeiro. In order to withstand shelling, they cut down a large number of logs from the rainforest to strengthen the fortress.
On the periphery of the trenches were several barbed wire fences, trenches one person deep, solid civil fortifications, plus heavy artillery and machine guns. When the Ming army arrived in Rio de Janeiro, what they faced was no longer a city, but a fortress!
A fortress defended by 300,000 troops!
In the early morning of January 31st, on the artillery position of the Ming Empire Army, dozens of siege guns and hundreds of cannons were aimed at the Brazilian army's defense line. When the hour hand pointed to three o'clock, the fierce bombardment began.
Got it!
Like previous bombardments, this one was still earth-shattering.
After the shelling lasted for two hours, when the sun came up, what appeared in front of people was no longer a position, but a bloody hell. The once green field had completely lost its original appearance, everywhere
They were all charred craters and soil blown up by the shells.
There were burning wood in the collapsed trenches, and black smoke was rising from the wood on both sides of the trenches. Broken guns and scattered ammunition boxes were everywhere in the trenches, and the front of the trenches were twisted and deformed.
Barbed wire.
This is just the embellishment of hell. Who is the real protagonist?
There were corpses and blood all over the ground, and the corpses and broken limbs of soldiers were all over the trenches. I don't know how many people died in the trenches so quietly. I was lucky to find a few complete corpses in them.
I don't know how many people were left with only a blackened and twisted stump. Many people were left with only a bloody arm or thigh, and more people were buried directly under the soil. They escaped from this place under the terrifying artillery fire.
The world has completely disappeared.
The trenches they dug seemed to have become their graves. Some of them were even blown to pieces, and only some fragments of military uniforms or some broken meat and intestines proved that they once existed.
The first line of defense of the Brazilian army has been wiped out by the fierce artillery fire. There is no complete trench there, and almost all bunkers and firepower points have been reduced to a piece of smoking scorched earth. It seems that,
There are no more living creatures here.
Even after the shelling, the officers and soldiers of the 26th Division thought the same way. They felt that the Brazilians were dead.
"rush!"
Amidst the shouts of the squad and platoon leaders, thousands of soldiers jumped out of the trenches. With their rifles drawn, they quickly rushed towards the enemy's defense line. They brought iron pliers specially designed to cut barbed wire and destroy
Heavy grenades for fortifications, all look very relaxed.
There won't be much resistance ahead.
Just as the soldiers were charging, in the seemingly deserted trenches, the Brazilians who had survived the shelling emerged again.
"Everyone, prepare..."
Amid the officers' shouts, the machine gunners set up their machine guns again. Although the shelling was fierce, it did not destroy all the fortifications and kill all the people.
The next moment, gunshots rang out, and the charging soldiers' offensive stalled slightly. For a moment, the bodies of the soldiers seemed to freeze. This freeze was only for an instant. The next second, the soldiers fell into pieces.
Next, amidst the rapid sound of machine gunfire, the soldiers fell down in the open space between the two armies. Many people rolled into the crater and followed the crater to shoot at the enemy. Those soldiers carrying wire cutters arrived on their knees.
In front of the barbed wire fence, the barbed wire was being cut in the hail of bullets.
Amidst the hail of bullets, Chang Jiafu lay on the ground and kept cutting the wire with wire money. From time to time, he looked up into the distance and saw the enemy's machine guns firing continuously in the fortifications.
Hurry up!
Chang Jiafu anxiously cut and tested the barbed wire fences. Those barbed wire fences blocked the advance of the troops and the barbed wires had to be cut short.
After finally cutting the last barbed wire fence, he rushed forward without making any pause.
When he was still more than ten meters away from a machine gun fortification, he stood up suddenly and threw the weighted grenade fiercely.
At the moment when the grenade landed on the top of the fortification, he was hit several times in the chest. Amidst the violent explosions, he fell to the ground. Lying on the ground dying, he looked at the sky, his eyes full of nostalgia. This