When the fully armed Wang Qiao team gathered in the lobby, shopkeeper Hu was dumbfounded and the daughter of the Hu family was mesmerized.
This group of young people who had lived in his home for so many days now looked like a group of murderous gods. They were all armed to the teeth, although he could not understand many of these weapons.
"Shopkeeper Hu, don't be afraid. We are the Huai Navy and the army of the Celestial Empire. We came to Ryukyu this time to drive away the Japanese." Wang Qiao explained quickly.
"Shopkeeper Hu, take your family and find a place to hide. If our Huaihai Navy army comes to kill you, the Japanese will probably jump over the wall and massacre the people in the city."
"Yes, I'll go right away." Shopkeeper Hu agreed mechanically. He had not yet recovered from the shock.
Shopkeeper Hu and his family hurriedly went to hide in the cellar in the backyard. Before leaving, Wang Qiao said to Shopkeeper Hu: "When our Huaihai Navy drives away the Japanese, we will no longer have to worry about being bullied by outsiders."
On the pier, the warships of the Huai Navy lined up outside the port, and were not blocked by the Japanese. It can be seen that little Japan still has self-awareness and does not touch eggs with stones.
The small boat carried the infantry and rowed towards the port. The artillery on the warship loaded the artillery with gunpowder, closely monitored the movements on the port, and was ready to provide fire support for the landing infantry at any time.
Ryukyu is a free port, and there are no forts deployed at the port. The Satsuma clan does not have the financial resources to deploy forts here. These situations were all determined by the reconnaissance team.
If the Japanese wanted to block the Huai Navy at the port, that would be the best thing. Without infantry, the Huai Navy's naval guns could take care of these Japanese soldiers.
Saigo Takamori, as a famous Japanese general, naturally would not be so stupid.
He set up his position in the residential area of the port. This way the Huaihai Navy would have scruples if it fired artillery, and the houses in the residential area could be used as bunkers.
What he wants now is to hold back Huai Haijun in the port residential area and let Huashan Yanyuan control Shuri City as soon as possible. It would be fun if the King of Fashionable Thailand stood up and announced his resistance to the Qing invasion.
On the cruiser Suzhou, the atmosphere in the combat command room was solemn at this time. The landing went extremely smoothly, which made the senior military officials sitting here worried.
"It seems that the Japanese are preparing to start a street fight with us." Dong Shuheng said with a frown.
"President, if we don't use naval gun support, our rifle advantage cannot be used in street fighting, and the troops will suffer casualties." Liu Dahai reminded.
Dong Shuheng glanced at the officers around him, and it was clear that everyone had the same worries.
"I understand everyone's thoughts." Dong Shuheng said, "Everyone is born from father to mother, but since ancient times, soldiers have the responsibility to protect their homes and the country. Protecting the people is the sacred mission of our Huai Navy. For this mission, we must
Be prepared to sacrifice yourself. There is no distinction between the lives of soldiers and civilians, but when encountering danger, soldiers must have the consciousness to die first."
"Commander Liu, send me to the shore. I want to say a few words to the landing soldiers." Dong Shuheng ordered Liu Dahai.
"Commander Wang, find a way to contact our people in the city and ask them to tell the people to hide in cellars or under beds as much as possible. In addition, let the special forces set up a center for the Japanese." Dong Shuheng ordered another intelligence staff officer.
"President, this is too dangerous. Commander Wang is commanding from the shore! You should stay on the boat!" Liu Dahai advised.
What came out with the fleet this time was the mixed division led by Wang Xiao, but they have now been upgraded to the fourth division, and the training department has asked the combat training department to help them complete the missing establishment of the original unit.
Wang Xiao finally became the commander of the Fourth Division, and he was still grateful that Dong Shuheng did not steal his position this time.
"Old Liu, it's nearly one kilometer away from Naha City. I don't believe that Japanese bullets can have wings." Dong Shuheng said stubbornly.
This time the Huaihai Navy may face the most difficult battle since its establishment. This time the opponent is the new army of the Satsuma Domain of Japan that was also trained using Western-style drills.
Moreover, the opponent has a rifle with a similar range, but the firing rate is slower. However, the opponent has a geographical advantage and can rely on buildings to shoot.
With all the troops ashore, Wang Xiao was gathering troops on the pier on the shore, preparing for pre-war mobilization. The scouts were already searching towards Naha Castle.
At this time, a landing craft sent Dong Shuheng over.
Wang Xiao's heart skipped a beat: "Isn't the president coming to seize my command authority again?"
Dong Shuheng jumped off the boat surrounded by his guards and quickly walked towards Wang Xiao.
"Wang Xiao, don't worry, I won't take your command this time. I have a few words to say to the soldiers." Dong Shuheng said. He could see Wang Xiao's thoughts from the expression on his hesitant expression.
"Yes, please give instructions from the president."
There were a total of two infantry regiments and one artillery regiment that came ashore this time. Dong Shuheng felt that a lion was fighting a rabbit with all his strength, so he sent all the infantry up without reservation.
In Naha City, Saigo Takamori was hiding in a brick building that had been requisitioned by the Japanese. The original owner of the house had fallen into a pool of blood in the backyard.
"Reporting to your Excellency, General, there are more than 6,000 troops landed by the Qing army. All of them use rifles and have a large number of artillery." Saigo's adjutant, Hashimoto Chuichi, reported to him.
"Nani, the Qing people actually sent so many troops?" Saigo Takamori said in shock.
If the rifles used by the Qing people were muskets, then they still had hope of victory. If not, then they could only hold back the Qing army as much as possible.
"Hashimoto-kun, take two squadrons to the city and capture all the residents of Naha, mainly Han people."
"Let them help us attack the Qing army's main formation. To buy us more time, I will lead the troops to delay them at the barricade." Saigo Takamori's eagle-like eyes glared and he said fiercely.
In his mind, war is about using all means to achieve strategic goals.
On the pier, the officers and soldiers of the Fourth Division stood neatly in several square formations.
Dong Shuheng stood in front of the square formation and said loudly: "Soldiers, we may face a tough battle today. Our enemy is the new army of the Japanese Satsuma family. They are equipped with front-loading rifled guns with a range comparable to our rifles."
"However, the despicable enemy is hiding in the city, hiding among the civilians, and taking the civilians as hostages."
"There are still people from our Han family in Naha City. I have ordered that the artillery regiments and naval guns are not allowed to fire into the city. Do you think we can fire at our compatriots?"
"Can't...can't..." the soldiers raised their arms and shouted.
"However, this means that we have to endure more casualties. Everyone can only use the rifles, grenades, and less lethal mortars and grenades in our hands."
"Soldiers, fighting on the battlefield and shedding blood is the glorious duty of every soldier. We must sacrifice ourselves in exchange for the safety of the people in the city. Are you willing?" Dong Shuheng said the last word "willing".
It's very heavy.
"Willing...willing..." the soldiers raised their rifles and shouted.
Since the establishment of the Huai Navy, the casualty rate has been very low, but this does not mean that the soldiers of the Huai Navy are afraid of death.
"Mr. Wang, the next step is up to you. We have trained on urban street fighting before."
"Yes, President, should we send some people to Shuri Castle to provide support? Intelligence personnel said that two thousand people were attacking Shuri Castle." Wang Xiao asked for instructions.
"It's up to you to decide. Now you are the commander-in-chief of the battlefield, and you have all the information here." After Dong Shuheng finished speaking, he was about to return to the warship. While he stayed here, Wang Xiao was a little unable to do anything.
In fact, Dong Shuheng was not worried about losing this battle. Huai Haijun had no problem winning this battle. After all, the strength lies here.
Wang Xiao was not in a hurry to attack with all his troops. This kind of urban street fighting had too many troops and it would be impossible to deploy them.
He first gathered two cavalry companies and sent them to bypass Naha and rush directly to Shuri Castle for support.
If the enemy is strong, they will delay the enemy outside the city. If the enemy is weak, they will work with the Imperial Guards and Mission Guards inside Shuri Castle to attack the Japanese troops attacking Shuri Castle from both inside and outside.
Then, he summoned all the remaining officers from the battalion and company level together.
"Everyone has just heard what the president said. Our opponents are very cunning and powerful. However, I think they also made a mistake. In street fighting, their rifled gun range advantage cannot be used, but we still have shooting capabilities.
The advantage of speed.”
"Now I have decided to set up an assault battalion to perform assault missions. This battalion will attack in platoon units, with three people in a group, one shotgun and two rifles, and each person is equipped with ten grenades. Each platoon is equipped with two guns.
Artillery fire and two grenade launchers for support. All equipment, including the missing parts, was transferred from other battalions."
"Who is willing to take on the task of the commando battalion now? Let me state in advance that the task of the commando battalion is the most difficult and requires a lot of casualties."
As soon as Wang Xiao finished speaking, the battalion commanders below immediately began to struggle.
"Commander, our battalion is the first to break into Tianjin City. Let us ensure that we complete the mission."
"Commander, our battalion is the division's skill competition champion, so let us compete!"
…
In the end, Wang Xiao could only exercise the power of the division commander and designate a battalion as the assault battalion.
"Battle Commander Zhang, if you don't play well, I can replace you at any time."
"Don't worry, Commander, our battalion will guarantee to complete the task. If it cannot be completed, I, Zhang Chengcheng, will take off the head and put a chamber pot for you." Battalion Commander Zhang said with a smile.
"Go away, you are willing to pick it, but I am not willing to use it yet!"
"Now go and assemble the troops in the shortest possible time. We don't have enough mortars. We need to transfer them from other battalions. Don't waste time." Wang Xiao urged.
After Zhang Cheng received the order, he quickly ran back to his camp.
On the sea, Dong Shuheng had no time to spare even when he returned to the fleet. The foreign merchant ships at the original port formed a delegation and came to the fleet in a small boat to inquire about the situation.
There was no other way, Dong Shuheng could only meet them on the Suzhou.
Several captains originally wanted to use their status as foreigners to come and question the navy.
However, when they saw that the person coming was Governor Dong Shuheng, they immediately fainted. Who among those doing business in the East would not know about this God of Wealth?
If you offend him, you may come back empty-handed next time you come to China.
However, Dong Shuheng did not blame them. He also explained to them that this time, China, as the suzerain state, was fulfilling its obligation to protect the vassal state.
Because there is a local Japanese force that threatens the security of the Ryukyu royal family.
Finally, Dong Shuheng also assured them that the positioning of the Ryukyu Free Port would not change in the future. Moreover, Huaihai Company would also invest in building more complete hardware facilities at the port.