Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 424: Watershed Breaks the Enemy

Qu Shaoyang led the Dingbian Army on the journey despite the severe cold and finally arrived at the outskirts of Haicheng on the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month.

Haicheng is close to Liaoyang, which is the gateway to Fengtian.

What is Fengtian? It is not only the "place where the dragon rises", but also the "important place of mausoleum". The ancestors of the Qing Dynasty are buried here.

If Fengtian cannot be defended, the princes and ministers in the capital will probably hang themselves collectively. This is absolutely unacceptable.

Therefore, the imperial court had already mobilized heavy troops to form a three-sided siege on Haicheng from Anshan in the north, Tianzhuangtai in the west, and Yingkou in the south.

In the surrounding areas, 170 battalions, nearly 80,000 troops, were assembled.

Before Qu Shaoyang led his troops to Haicheng, the Changshun and Yiktang'a tribes, with more than 20,000 people, had launched two consecutive counterattacks on Haicheng.

Because the Qing army in Northeast China was poorly equipped, they had outdated weapons, most of which were homemade and had a short range.

In addition, the Han Army and the Eight Banners Army were not on the same page, and two consecutive counterattacks ended in failure.

Although Qu Shaoyang's Dingbian Army had a title after being reported to the court by Zhang Xiulan, Qu Shaoyang had not yet received an official appointment from the court.

He was only the commander of the Dingbian Army, but his rank and title were all unclear.

In addition, Qu Shaoyang was young, of humble origin, and had no background or support, so when he brought his people here, they were not taken seriously.

Qu Shaoyang was very sensible and would not move forward to get himself into trouble, so he led his troops to camp near Caojiabaozi.

The next day was New Year's Eve, and everyone was stationed outside, so how could they have the conditions to eat and celebrate? It was already very good to have a hot meal.

Everyone came from a poor background, and now the situation is special, so they don't have any complaints.

After New Year’s Eve, it’s a new year again, and the 21st year of the Guangxu period has arrived.

At the beginning of the first lunar month, Xu Qingzhang, the governor of Liaoyang, secretly discussed the plan to attack Haicheng with Changshun and Yiktang'a.

On the 22nd day of the first lunar month, 30 infantry and cavalry battalions of the Changshun Army and four artillery posts pointed toward Shuanglong Mountain.

Yiktang'a's army led forty battalions of infantry and cavalry and headed towards Huanxi Mountain.

The prefect Xu Qingzhang led his troops to capture Ximu City directly to cut off the Japanese army's retreat.

The Japanese army occupied the mountains outside Haicheng City, built fortifications, and supported each other.

The Qing army attacked fiercely all the way, and the Japanese army resisted stubbornly. The two sides fought from morning to noon. The Qing army suffered heavy casualties and had no choice but to retreat.

Qu Shaoyang's troops were sent to cooperate with Xu Zhizhou to attack Ximu City.

The Dingbian Army was well-equipped with imported firearms, heavy machine guns, imported cannons, and self-developed grenades.

Moreover, the Dingbian Army was composed of patrol teams and security teams. Most of these people were hunters. They usually hunted flying birds during the day and shot incense sticks at night. They were excellent marksmen.

In addition, they had dealt with the Japanese army many times before and were familiar with their fighting style, so their combat effectiveness was very strong.

Qu Shaoyang led his troops to attack for more than 40 miles and arrived at the city of Ximu.

At this time, the Japanese army ambushed troops everywhere, and the Dingbian Army fought bravely and fought to the death with the enemy.

However, the other two routes failed and Xu Qingzhang's troops also withdrew. The Dingbian Army was unable to hold on alone, so Qu Shaoyang could only lead his troops to fight and retreat, and finally retreated to the garrison.

The next morning, the prefect Xu Qingzhang sent someone to find Qu Shaoyang.

Qu Shaoyang didn't know what the other party meant, so he took a few bodyguards and went to see Xu Zhizhou.

"Sir Xu, may I ask what you need me for?" Qu Shaoyang asked as soon as he saw him.

"Sir Qu, I have received news that the Japanese First Route Army and the reinforcements from Goryeo have a total of nearly 10,000 people.

Passing through Fenghuang City, he took a detour out of Dagaoling and planned to attack Liaoyang from a secret route.

The situation is urgent. I have already appealed to the court and requested soldiers to guard Huolanggou. I will personally lead the troops to defend the southeast of Liaoyang."

"Yesterday when we attacked Ximu City, Lord Qu led the Dingbian Army with great courage and bravery, and beat the Japanese army so hard that they had no chance to fight back. I admire him very much.

The situation today is urgent, so I had no choice but to invite Lord Qu here.

I would like to invite Lord Qu to lead the Dingbian Army, as well as the 27 militias from Xinglonggou, Qitongbei, Liudaohe, etc., to rescue the South Watershed. I wonder if Lord Qu is willing to help?"

Xu Qingzhang did not beat around the bush or talk nonsense, but directly stated his intention, which was to ask Qu Shaoyang for help to stop the Japanese army.

"What are you talking about, sir? The Japanese army invaded our land and killed our people. This is really abominable.

Although Shao Yang is of humble origin, he is willing to do his best. Since you have spoken, I will lead the army to the South Watershed. "

Qu Shaoyang came to Haicheng to kill the enemy, so he could fight anywhere. There was no reason to refuse, so he immediately agreed.

"Okay, Lord Qu is straightforward. When the war is over, I will definitely host a banquet to entertain you."

Xu Qingzhang was very happy to see Qu Shaoyang agreed.

These were just polite words, and Qu Shaoyang didn't take them to heart.

After bidding farewell to Xu Qingzhang, Qu Shaoyang immediately returned to the garrison, ordered the camp to be broken up and set off for the South Watershed.

Qu Shaoyang led his troops to the South Watershed and deployed troops.

On the 27th day of the first lunar month, the Japanese army took a shortcut from Longtou Village and attacked Sanjiazi, and the Dingbian Army retreated to Liujiabao.

On the 28th day of the first lunar month, a large group of Japanese troops attacked. The Dingbian Army occupied various hilltops and took advantage of the terrain to block the attack.

Qu Shaoyang led a group of people to set up an ambush in Shihu Valley. When the enemy army passed through Shihu Valley, the ambushers on the mountains on both sides raised their guns and fired at the same time, and grenades were thrown down like raindrops.

The Japanese army suffered countless casualties and heavy losses.

However, the Japanese army was large in number and the two sides were deadlocked for nearly three or four hours. Finally, the Japanese army could only retreat in embarrassment.

The Japanese army retreated to the Black Pine Forest and set up camp. With the cooperation of the local militia, Qu Shaoyang launched a surprise attack at night.

As the name suggests, the black pine forest is a whole pine forest.

It is past the Rain Water season, the trees are dry and flammable, and coupled with the strong spring winds, it is definitely a good time for arson.

So, Qu Shaoyang took his men, chose a location according to the wind direction, and lit several fires in the pine forest.

The fire started in an instant. The fire was fueled by the wind and the wind helped the fire. It burned more and more vigorously and quickly burned towards the Japanese camp.

The Japanese army had fought with the Dingbian army for a whole day and was already exhausted.

When the night patrollers took a nap, the fire broke out. The Japanese army was terrified and quickly raised the alarm.

However, in the panic, people trampled on each other, resulting in hundreds of casualties.

In addition, some Japanese soldiers were unable to escape and were caught in the fire, resulting in heavy casualties and they fled in panic.

On the 30th day of the first lunar month, the Japanese army attacked from Xinglonggou and Panling.

Qu Shaoyang led his troops to garrison Panling and was fighting with the enemy when he suddenly heard that the Japanese army was invading Xinglonggou. So he ordered Zhao Zhengguo and others to guard Panling. Qu Shaoyang personally led a team to Xinglonggou to assist the militia.

Due to the large number of Japanese troops, the militia was unable to fight effectively and retreated to Bapanling.

As soon as Qu Shaoyang led his men to the top of the ridge, the main force of the Japanese army had already reached the bottom of the ridge. With the enemy outnumbering us, Qu Shaoyang led his soldiers to fight to the death, set up an ambush at Niu'er Ridge, and intercepted the enemy's middle route at night.

The two sides engaged in close combat, and the Dingbian Army fought bravely, causing five to six hundred Japanese casualties, including one Japanese general who died in the battle.

As a last resort, the Japanese army had to retreat more than ten miles to temporarily avoid the attack.

Qu Shaoyang also suffered heavy casualties, so he led his troops to retreat to Bapanling for rest.

The Japanese army attacked several times, but was repelled by the Dingbian Army and the militia. After being delayed for many days, they were unable to cross the southern watershed and invade Liaoyang.

On the other side, on the 27th day of the first lunar month, the Qing army launched a fourth counterattack on Haicheng.

This time the Qing army had more troops, but they had failed in their previous three attacks on Haicheng and their morale had been lost.

As soon as the armies engaged the Japanese army on the battlefield, they began to retreat. Although the fighting lasted for five days, they were still defeated.

In the fourth counterattack on Haicheng, the Qing army had two generals (Changshun and Yiktang'a), a governor (Wu Dacheng), an admiral (Song Qing), and a provincial governor (Wei Guangtao), with a total of more than a hundred battalions.

60,000 Qing soldiers were unable to capture a small sea city and could not even break through the outer positions. This was truly a joke.

When the Qing army of tens of thousands launched several counterattacks on Haicheng, the Japanese army's 2nd and 6th divisions stationed on the mainland, plus a part of the troops drawn from the 2nd Army, totaled more than 30,000 people.

With Oyama Iwao as the commander-in-chief and Ito Yuheng as the commander of the combined fleet, they set out from Hiroshima, landed in Rongcheng, Shandong, captured Weihaiwei by land, and then launched a general attack on the Beiyang Fleet.

On the 18th day of the first lunar month, the Japanese army captured Liugong Island, Admiral Ding Ruchang was martyred, and the Beiyang Navy was destroyed.

The fall of Lushun and the annihilation of the Beiyang Navy were undoubtedly a huge blow to the Qing government.

At this time, the defense of Liaoyang and Fengtian was crucial.

Therefore, the Qing court ordered the armies outside the Great Wall to "work together to quickly recapture Haicheng, then unite the troops to suppress the rebellion in the south and gradually eliminate the rebellion."

Since the order was given by the emperor himself, everyone had to take it seriously. Both the Hunan Army and the Eight Banners Army knew that they could not afford to lose face again.

So they all went out, and Song Qing, who was guarding Yingkou, also sent troops to support them, planning to counterattack Haicheng for the fifth time.

At this time, Wu Dacheng remembered the Dingbian Army, which had defended the watershed to the death and defeated the Japanese army several times.

So he immediately sent someone to Bapanling to deliver a message, ordering Qu Shaoyang to lead his troops to discuss the counterattack on Haicheng.

After receiving the news, Qu Shaoyang had no choice but to lead his troops to withdraw from the Bapanling position. The Japanese army also took this opportunity to break out from Miaoerling and rushed into Haicheng.

Qu Shaoyang led his troops back to the Qing army garrison outside Haicheng, and this time he was warmly received by Wu Dacheng, the commander-in-chief of the Qing army's front line.

"Lord Qu is young but extremely brave. In this watershed battle, Lord Qu led his troops to inflict heavy damage on the Japanese army, preventing them from invading Liaoyang. This is truly a great achievement.

Mr. Qu is young and promising, and his future is immeasurable." When Wu Dacheng and others saw Qu Shaoyang, they immediately praised him.

"Your Excellency is too kind to praise me. I really don't deserve it.

The battle of the watershed was entirely due to the bravery of the soldiers and the cooperation of the local militia. I dare not boast of my humble ability in front of you."

Among this group of people, Qu Shaoyang was of the lowest rank and had no background to rely on, so naturally he did not dare to be arrogant, so he spoke modestly.

In any case, this time Qu Shaoyang finally had the qualifications to discuss military affairs with these governors and admirals.

Of course, this is just a pretense, and no one will listen to Qu Shaoyang's advice.

So Qu Shaoyang was very tactful and only brought the ears but not the mouth.

No matter how others talked or argued, Qu Shaoyang just watched coldly and did not express his opinion.

There was a heated debate here about how to launch the fifth counterattack on Haicheng. However, the best opportunity to recapture Haicheng had passed, and reinforcements from the Japanese army were about to arrive.

After Nogi Maresuke went north to rescue Haicheng and was blocked in Yingkou, the Japanese headquarters ordered the 5th Division of the 1st Army in Fengcheng to go to Haicheng for the rescue.

This team of more than 10,000 people was led by the newly appointed First Army Commander Nozu Michitsugu.

Nozu Michikuni lives up to his name as it contains the word "野" (wild), and he does things in an unconventional way.

He did not lead his troops directly to Haicheng for rescue, but instead led his army to Liaoyang.

As a result, the Eight Banners Army at Anshan Station took the initiative to withdraw to Liaoyang.

As a result, Nozu Michitsugu immediately led his army towards Anshan.

During this process, the Japanese army demonstrated their devilish marching speed. By the time the Qing army reacted, the Japanese army had arrived at Anshan Station and successfully penetrated the Qing army's encirclement.

The Qing army that was besieging Haicheng was torn open in this way.

The fifth counterattack that was previously discussed was also abandoned. The reinforcements have arrived, why attack? Just defend.

Wu Dacheng believed that Nozu Michitsugu was obviously heading for Haicheng, so he immediately transferred the army from Tianzhuangtai to the Haicheng front.

However, things turned out to be unexpected.

After Nozu Michitsugu captured Anshan, he did not stop for a moment, but immediately led his troops to bypass Haicheng and march towards Niuzhuang at full speed.

"The Japanese army's advance into Niuzhuang should be the same as their previous advance into Anshan, which is to occupy a base for attacking Haicheng.

After all, they are here to relieve the siege of Haicheng. Since their army will enter Haicheng sooner or later, why not give up Niuzhuang now and let the Japanese army occupy it, and we will lead the army to wait for them in Haicheng."

After some thought, Wu Dacheng said this.

It has been some time since Qu Shaoyang was transferred back from Bapanling.

These days, he spent all day discussing military affairs with a group of generals, governors, and provincial governors, which made him very angry.

The Qing army’s fighting style was old-fashioned, with no coordinated command, and the various armies were unable to cooperate with each other.

Although Wu Dacheng was the nominal commander, he was a scholar who understood nothing about military affairs. He had a head full of unrealistic ideas and kept doing all kinds of outrageous things.

How to win the battle in this situation?
"I'm sorry, sir, I don't agree with what you say." After enduring for several days, Qu Shaoyang finally couldn't bear it anymore and spoke.

“Although Niuzhuang is inconspicuous, its location is very important. Once Niuzhuang is lost, Tianzhuangtai and Haicheng will be threatened at the same time.

Tianzhuangtai was the previous residence of the adults, and it is also our army’s base camp, an important food and fodder storage area, and an arms transit point.

If Nozu Michitsugu was allowed to occupy Niuzhuang, according to this person's style of doing things, he would probably ignore Haicheng and attack Tianzhuangtai first.

At that time, the army stationed in Haicheng will have to return to provide support, and this will fall into Nozu Michitsugu's plan to mobilize our army on a large scale."

“In addition, considering the overall battlefield, to the south of Niuzhuang is Yingkou where Admiral Song is stationed.

Further south of Yingkou was the Japanese army led by Nogi Maresuke. Once Niuzhuang fell, Nozu Michikuni might also go south to Yingkou and attack the garrison in Yingkou from front and back with Nogi Maresuke.

In that case, the army on the Haicheng front would have to reinforce Yingkou, and would also fall into the same trap of mobilization."

"Nozu Michitsugu's reinforcements had traveled a long distance and had just captured Anshan, so they were exhausted.

At this time, we should surround the point and attack the reinforcements. We should send a part of our forces to continue to besiege Haicheng, and the main force of the army should surround and annihilate the reinforcements. "

Qu Shaoyang spoke in one breath, regardless of the people around him trying to stop him.

(End of this chapter)