RPAGF Chapter 109 The city is broken
Chapter 109 The city is broken
"General, in today's battle, our army killed 1,162 Allied soldiers and captured 2,053."
"Among them, there were 674 Russian soldiers, 826 British soldiers, 467 American soldiers, and 86 Japanese soldiers!" the staff officer reported, reading the document.
"What about our casualties?" Shen Lian nodded.
"Our army suffered a total of 205 dead, 32 seriously wounded, and 85 slightly wounded!"
A three-to-one casualty ratio, and that was after a sneak attack! Shen Lian could barely accept this result. After all, he lacked combat experience.
Fortunately, the current Allied forces are not particularly motivated; if it were the armies of the major powers during World War II, it wouldn't be so easy.
"The wounded soldiers must receive the best medical care! All the fallen martyrs must be cremated, their bodies properly packed, and their belongings collected. We must take them back to their hometowns!" Shen Lian said in a deep voice.
"Yes, sir!" the staff officer stood up and said.
"Commander! Our army has captured a total of 12,500 rifles, 32 heavy machine guns, 58 cannons of various types, 200 boxes of explosives, and countless bullets and shells!" another staff officer stood up and reported.
"The seized silver dollars, gold, and other valuables are estimated at approximately 9.3 million taels. There are also a large quantity of antiques and paintings whose value is incalculable, and over 5,000 dan of military rations!"
Shen Lian nodded. The spoils were alright! They were basically enough to meet his needs for this trip.
"The situation in the capital is extremely dangerous right now. I estimate that it could be breached by the Allied forces at any moment. Therefore, we don't have much time to rest. We need to replenish our ammunition and manpower immediately before setting off."
"Our strategy for this battle of Beijing remains the same: avoid positional warfare with the Allied forces. It would be best to strike when the Allied forces are engaged in chaotic fighting and looting within the city, and fight them in street battles."
"Therefore, you should summarize the experience of today's battle and learn from the lessons. I hope you can fight even better next time!"
"Yes, Commander!" the officers shouted as they stood up.
"The Fifth and Sixth Regiments suffered the least losses; once they've replenished their ammunition, they can set off tonight. The cavalry regiment will depart immediately to cover the battlefield. Be sure to gather up the fleeing troops in various locations!"
After taking control of the telegraph room, Shen Lian immediately restored the telegraph line to Beijing. For the time being, the Allied forces should not yet be aware that Tianjin has changed hands.
"Each regiment should report the meritorious personnel as soon as possible so that they can be evaluated and rewarded in a timely manner!"
"Alright! Everyone disperse! Get back to work." With that, Shen Lian ended the meeting. He hated endless, pointless chatter in meetings!
Before it got dark in the afternoon, Shen Lian received a telegram from the Allied Forces that they had defeated the Wuwei Rear Army.
"Zhiyuan, when are you going to Beijing?" Nie Gongting asked anxiously after reading the telegram.
"Father-in-law, I have already ordered the advance troops to depart tonight. The rest will need to rest for a day or two!"
“Alright! Then I’ll take my men and set off with your advance troops.” Nie Gongting nodded and said.
"Father-in-law, don't worry. It's best to act together with my main force. The allied forces are no less powerful than us. If our forces are scattered, they will easily defeat us one by one!" Shen Lian hurriedly said.
This father-in-law is determined to fight the Allied forces to the death, so I have to keep him by my side. Otherwise, he might ruin my plans.
Although Nie Gongting was anxious, he also felt that Shen Lian was right. With his current small, defeated army, going there would be nothing but suicide. He believed that the capital, with its high city walls, should be able to hold out for a few days.
At that time, I and Shen Lian's new army will launch an attack from behind the allied forces, and together with the city's defenders, we can launch a pincer attack. It is entirely possible to annihilate the allied forces under the city walls.
The capital city was in chaos at night. The allied forces outside the city and the Wuwei Rear Army had been fighting all day, and the people inside the city already knew that the Wuwei Rear Army had been defeated.
Wealthy families were preparing to flee, while ordinary people had nowhere to go and could only stay at home with their doors and windows tightly shut.
The streets were teeming with stragglers and thugs. Cries for help could be heard from time to time in the night, but no one dared to intervene.
In the middle of the night, a group of several hundred soldiers from the Wuwei Army arrived at the armory in Xizhimen. The soldiers guarding the armory dared not stop them and quickly summoned the armory ambassador.
"This is the Ministry of War's document. We are now taking over all the weapons here and will move them overnight. We hope the ambassador will cooperate!" The leading officer was dressed in the uniform of a third-rank military officer, and a familiar junior clerk from the Ministry of War was beside him.
"Very well, sir, please follow me!" Ambassador Ku checked the documents and, after confirming that everything was in order, led a group of officers and soldiers inside.
When the warehouse door was opened, Lai Fu was dumbfounded by the sight of so many weapons piled up there. Damn it, so many weapons, and they're just sitting here collecting dust instead of being used.
A casual glance reveals hundreds of cannons, dozens of machine guns, and machine guns. Rifles are piled up like mountains.
Fortunately, the adults had made arrangements in advance, otherwise these weapons would have fallen into the hands of the Allied forces.
Soon, the prepared horse-drawn carriages arrived, and everyone began to hurry up and move the weapons. Hundreds of people worked until dawn but still couldn't finish moving them, so they had to abandon the old cannons.
Fortunately, the allied forces outside the city had already begun their assault, with cannons roaring. Their transport operation didn't attract much attention.
On August 14, after defeating the Wuwei Rear Army, the Eight-Nation Alliance launched an attack on Beijing.
Russian troops attacked Dongzhimen, Japanese troops attacked Chaoyangmen, and American troops attacked Dongbianmen. The Qing troops defending the city were not to be outdone, firing down on the Allied forces from their higher positions.
Gunfire erupted, echoing throughout the city and its surroundings. Strangely, while the battle raged on, the area outside the city was filled with onlookers.
These civilians not only refused to help the Qing army defend the city, but also watched the spectacle. Even the Allied forces, who were engaged in battle, shook their heads repeatedly.
By noon, the Qing army, due to its inferior weaponry, was gradually losing ground, while the British army, guided by the local people, entered the city through the sewers of Guangqumen.
As soon as the allied forces entered the city, the defenders on the city walls scattered in panic! Weapons and spears were left lying all over the streets.
"Send a message to the commander-in-chief: the allied forces have breached the outer city!" Zhang Da Kui put down his binoculars, shook his head, and said.
Shen Lian woke up a little late today, and the staff all thought he was too overworked and slept in. Actually, it was because he "ate too much!"
Last night, under the pretext of checking on the collection, he had his subordinates send over all the antiques he had acquired in Tianjin.
He put hundreds of boxes of antiques into his spatial storage and then fell into a deep sleep. When he woke up in the morning, he found that the entire space had changed.
What used to be a house has been turned into an empty lot. It looks like it's dozens of acres in size. It's brightly lit, but there's no sun in the sky.
His body was once again enhanced to an unbelievable degree; he could even easily penetrate brick walls with his fingers. He just didn't know if his skin could now withstand bullets.
Never mind that for now! Shen Lian took the antique out and put it back in its place. Then he took a shower, his body covered in a layer of unpleasant grease. Could this be what they call cleansing the marrow and purifying the body?