The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 1 Bombardment
"Pah, pah, pah"

"Da da, da da da da"

"Boom, boom, boom"

Amid the deafening roar of gunfire and the shrill whistles of artillery shells, several shells exploded among a group of soldiers with braids running in panic, and a bloody storm instantly broke out among the group of more than 200 people.

Almost at the same moment when the shell exploded, a young officer leaped up nimbly and threw an official in his forties, who was surrounded by the group of pigtailed soldiers and was trying his best to protect, from his horse's back to the ground, and rolled over to pin the official under him.

After the explosion, the official who was knocked off his horse by the young officer looked extremely pale and embarrassed. He pushed away the young officer who was still lying on him motionlessly, and used his hands and feet to crawl into a drainage ditch beside a rice field.

Only then did the official have time to look at his team which had been torn to pieces.

Several shells suddenly fell from the sky, causing heavy casualties among the 200-strong team. Twenty to thirty bloody and even mutilated corpses lay scattered on the ground. The soldiers who were lucky enough not to be killed or injured by the shells, ignored the cries for help from their wounded companions, and continued to run around in panic like frightened rabbits. Only a few frightened stewards followed him into the ditch which was only a foot deep.

"Boom boom boom" a few more shells fell, blasting the remnants of the defeated soldiers who were still hiding everywhere into pieces. The confused soldiers could no longer be restrained and began to flee in all directions, all wanting to leave this place of death as soon as possible.

It was a long time after the explosion that the official loosened his hands that were tightly holding his head and raised his head tremblingly. On the official road where he had just escaped, there was no soldier guarding him. The ground was littered with broken limbs, incomplete bodies, and guns.

It was not that more than 200 people were killed or injured by the sudden artillery fire, but that they had already fled far away in all directions. As far as the officials could see, they could clearly see the figures of soldiers still fleeing for their lives in the distance.

The official tried hard to control his still shaking body, wiped the dirt off his face, and looked at the explosion site. His horse had been blown several feet away, and half of the horse's head had been blown away. The horse's belly was filled with blood and flesh, and its intestines had been blown several feet away.

At this moment, the muscles of the horse, which was dead as hell, were still spasming and twitching, as if the horse's nerves were still responsive.

Seeing this tragic scene, the muscles on the official's fat face, as pale as paper, began to twitch uncontrollably, as if infected by the dead horse.

If he were riding a horse, his current condition would probably not be much better than that of his horse!

When the middle-aged official thought of this, his stomach cramped and he started vomiting with a loud bang.

The official's face seemed to have become even paler due to vomiting, but he seemed to have suddenly remembered the young officer who had jumped him off his horse and protected him with his body, and his eyes hurriedly searched the explosion site.

Soon he saw the officer. After the bombardment, he was miraculously not affected by the dense explosions. His limbs were still intact. He was lying on the ground on his back with blood all over his face on the official road several feet away from the ditch, motionless.

The official's mouth twitched again. He pointed at the officer and shouted at the servants who had followed him into the ditch, "You bunch of incompetent dogs, why don't you go and bring Teng Guandai back to me."

Although several grooms were frightened by the explosion and their faces turned pale, it was obvious that the official was angry. However, they knew that they had failed to provide adequate protection, so after hesitating for a while, two of them climbed out of the ditch tremblingly and carried the officer called Captain Teng into the ditch. The grooms who were carrying the officer hurriedly said in a flattering manner.

"Sir, Captain Teng doesn't seem to be dead yet!"

The official stretched out his still shaking hand and tested Teng Guandai's nose. Sure enough, there was still breath. He couldn't help but get angry again, "You dog slave, what are you standing there for? Go find a doctor."

Although the shelling had stopped, the bloody shelling scene still made the middle-aged official shudder. He shouted to several horsemen, "It's not safe here. Carry Captain Teng on your backs and let's go."

Fortunately, after just a few rounds of artillery fire, no more shells flew in, which made the grooms feel relieved. Some ran to find the medical officer, while the other grooms carried the officials and Captain Teng on their backs and hurried away.

A mile away in the woods, the official sat on a rock, breathing heavily while watching the medical officer called by the groom checking the wound of Captain Teng. A group of dusty soldiers and guards followed one after another, especially a few officers, who were so depressed that they dared not even breathe.

They knew very well that this gentleman was very angry at their failure to protect them. If they provoked him again, a beating with a stick would be the worst possible outcome, and the unlucky guy might even be killed.

These frightened soldiers, feeling somewhat guilty, surrounded the officials from a distance.

"Please rest assured, sir. Captain Teng was only hit on the back of his head by a rock. He is still breathing."

After the medical officer examined Captain Teng's wound, he applied medicine and bandage to him while speaking to the official.

The doctor's words made the official's gloomy face lighten a little, "Is there anything serious?"

Before the official could finish his words, he seemed to be hurt by the medical officer.
Captain Teng, who was leaning in the arms of a horseman, suddenly cried out in pain, and then slowly opened his eyes.

Seeing Captain Teng regain consciousness, the officials were surprised and happy, with rare smiles on their faces. This made the dozen or so horsemen and officers who were still alive and unharmed feel a little more at ease.

It was good that the savior of the master was still alive. At least he would not get angry anymore. They had just been scolded to death. The furious master even told them that he wanted to send these useless slaves to the Laolongtou Railway Station where the sound of gunfire was still fierce.

The middle-aged official, with dirt still on his face, rushed to Captain Teng and grabbed Captain Teng's hand.

"Xingfu, you finally woke up! How do you feel now?"

Captain Teng looked at himself with a confused look in his eyes, then glanced at the defeated soldiers around him. After a moment, his confused look turned into astonishment and confusion.

He even reached out and touched the injured back of his head, which must have touched the wound. Then he quickly retracted his hand, grimacing in pain and gasping for air.

The medical officer standing by noticed Captain Teng's expression and hurriedly spoke to the official.

"Sir, Captain Teng must have been hit on the back of his head by the saddle that was blown away. The foreigners call this a concussion. He may still be a little confused now, but he will be fine after some recovery."

The middle-aged official felt relieved after hearing what the doctor said. He still held Captain Teng's hand tightly and said, "Captain Teng, I'm glad you're okay! You just saved my life. I will never forget it. After this battle, I will definitely guarantee you a good future!"

After the official finished speaking, he let go of his hand and was about to stand up, but unexpectedly, Captain Teng suddenly spoke, hesitantly.

"Master Zhongtang, this is Tianjin. Today is June 17th of the Gengzi Year?"

The middle-aged official smiled bitterly and said, "Yes, this is Tianjin, and today is the 17th day of the sixth month of the Gengzi Year."

We hereby declare that the modern weapons appearing in this book are by no means fabricated by Zuima. They are fully documented and are all real historical facts.

We hereby declare that the modern weapons appearing in this book are by no means fabricated by Zuima. They are fully documented and are all real historical facts.

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(End of this chapter)