The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

"Were there any casualties among these journalists?"

"No, a few of them could speak our language. When we attacked, they didn't resist and just raised their hands in surrender, so we didn't kill them for the time being."

Liu Wenxiu felt relieved when she heard that these reporters were not injured or killed. If there were any casualties, they might be silenced.

"Then let them stay in the church for now. Let's deal with the Russian military camp first and then we can talk about it later."

"Yes."

When Liu Wenxiu arrived at the battlefield, the soldiers were already making their final push against the Russians emerging from the barracks. The soldiers trained by Zhang Yinghao weren't about to engage in ambushes like those in "Bright Sword," where the soldiers were killed, yet the high-ranking officers remained, still willing to engage in bayonet battles. The revolutionary army's ambush tactics, from the outset, were dictated by the principle of capturing the leader first. Whenever possible, the highest-ranking officers were the first to be eliminated.

Seeing the soldiers cleaning up the battlefield, Liu Wenxiu immediately gave the order: "The fifth battalion of the fifth regiment will stay behind to clean up the battlefield. The rest of the soldiers will set out immediately to attack the Russian camp."

Liu Wenxiu needed to act quickly. If his predictions were correct, there must be Russian cannons in the camp outside the city. Cannons took up a lot of space, so it was best to place them outside the city. He had to get the cannons before the Russians realized the situation and destroyed them.

Thousands of men attacked a single platoon of Russians, who had no heavy machine guns. The only two they had were taken away by the deputy battalion commander and captured by the soldiers. Of course, if this platoon had faced a real bandit attack, even with only 4,000 men, they would have been able to hold out for a while in their camp and wait for reinforcements. However, they were facing a real army, and while this army was still very young, it was no match for the bandits.

Soldiers used machine guns to fire directly at the Russians' rifles, while elsewhere, demolitionists used explosives to directly blow up the walls of the Russian camp. The Russians were so overwhelmed by the machine guns in front that they had no time to pay attention to the demolitionists carrying out blasting in all directions.

Boom, boom, boom, boom...

After hearing a loud noise, the Russians' camp, which they thought was solid, became jagged. When Liu Wenxiu saw this, he immediately shouted: "Blow the horn, charge, attack."

"Beep beep beep..."

The bugle sounded, and the soldiers, like tigers descending from the mountains, were unstoppable, pouring into the Russian camp from all directions. Seeing the situation was dire, the Russians, even knowing that surrender would mean death, still chose to surrender with only a lucky twist of fate. As for the artillerymen, their surrender was even more straightforward. Before the soldiers, rifles drawn, could reach them, they knelt and surrendered.

The soldiers left some men behind to guard the prisoners while the others immediately began searching the Russian camp. Boxes were constantly being carried out, and soldiers kept reporting how much weapons, ammunition, and food they had seized. Only when they heard reports of over fifty long-barreled cannons and over a hundred short-barreled cannons had been seized did Liu Wenxiu finally breathe a sigh of relief. As he had expected, the Russians' cannons were inside the camp outside the city.

Liu Wenxiu hurried to the cannon storage area and saw cannons covered in gun covers. He roughly counted them and found that there were 54 cannons with long barrels, and even more with shorter barrels, a total of 154.

Liu Wenxiu walked closer and saw that they were all brand new cannons, which meant they weren't used to siege Wujiabao. Liu Wenxiu opened the gun covers again and wanted to examine them carefully. Many of them were new to him in Sichuan. You have to know that they were the top soldiers in Sichuan, and all weapons were sent to them first for testing and training. He had never seen them before, which meant that Sichuan didn't have these cannons.

Just when Liu Wenxiu wanted to take another look at these cannons he had never seen before, a report sounded in his ears: "Report to the division commander, a large group of women were found in the barracks?"

Chapter 285:

Liu Wenxiu gave up the idea of ​​continuing to look at the cannons, said "hmm", and found the women in the military camp. It was obvious what had happened to these women.

He immediately recalled the treatment of such women in Sichuan: Only with a broader and more generous love could these women develop a sense of mission, understand that their suffering was not limited to themselves, and relate their personal suffering to the suffering of their class and nation. They would realize that only by eliminating the invaders and overthrowing the rule of the Qing Dynasty could the working people rise up and become masters of their own destiny. Only by allowing them to participate in the struggle to liberate women and the people of the country would they have the motivation to move forward.

If this situation isn't properly addressed, more women might become desperate and commit suicide. And once one person commits suicide, like the lead sheep jumping off a cliff, the others will follow suit, immediately imposing a moral hold on the remaining women. They'll be faced with the choice of whether to live or not, rather than the choice of how to better survive.

With Lian Chengjue absent, ideological work had to be handled by other political commissars. Liu Wenxiu immediately called in an old comrade who had previously served in Sichuan. After giving him a few instructions, the political commissar immediately went to work on the ideological work of these women comrades. Liu Wenxiu didn't know how good the political commissar was at ideological work, but since he was the political commissar, he should take on this responsibility. Soon, the women's war song "The Red Detachment of Women" could be heard in the barracks. Liu Wenxiu breathed a sigh of relief and stopped paying attention to the women.

Liu Wenxiu came to the Russian prisoners and looked at the large group of Russians. Liu Wenxiu said directly: "Who among you is an artilleryman? Who can fire a cannon?"

After the translator finished translating Liu Wenxiu's words, the prisoners remained unmoved. Liu Wenxiu asked again, but the prisoners remained silent.

Liu Wenxiu saw that the uniforms of the captured Russians were different colors. He then remembered the uniforms of the Russians he had killed today and immediately said, "Those with the same uniforms should stand aside."

As soon as Liu Wenxiu finished speaking, a soldier immediately distinguished the two groups of Russian soldiers wearing different uniforms. Liu Wenxiu directly said to the group of Russian soldiers wearing different uniforms: "Who is willing to teach our soldiers how to fire artillery?"

Seeing that the old man remained silent, Liu Wenxiu said: "Since you are no longer valuable, we can only send you to see God."

After hearing what Liu Wenxiu said, someone who looked like an officer finally spoke up and said, "We have surrendered. You cannot kill prisoners."

The reason these artillerymen surrendered so readily was because artillerymen were considered technical soldiers, not just those who could fire cannons. Artillerymen required professional training and extensive live-fire practice, and each artilleryman was far more valuable than an infantryman. Once an artillery unit was lost, there was no way to replace it in a short period of time.

Liu Wenxiu laughed and said, "You Russian troops even kill civilians. Of course we can kill prisoners. Not only can we kill prisoners, we can also kill your Russian civilians. Now I ask you, will you teach our soldiers artillery techniques?"

"Don't waste your time. We will never teach you artillery techniques. If we teach you, you will kill more people in the Russian Empire."

Liu Wenxiu had to spare the life of the Russian artillerymen. Otherwise, without anyone to teach them how to operate the captured artillery, they would be completely useless. Even if they could learn on their own, it would take a long time to learn and waste a lot of ammunition on experimentation. However, getting these Russians to work for him would require more effort.

Liu Wenxiu heard this and said, "Very well, if you refuse or don't answer once, I will kill one of your soldiers. I'll ask you again, will you teach me?"

"I won't teach you, even if I die."

Liu Wenxiu pulled out his gun and fired at the group of Russian soldiers stationed in Anshan. One of them fell to the ground. Liu Wenxiu said, "Chop off his head."

"Yes."

At this time, a soldier holding a machete walked up to the fallen Russian soldier, raised his hand and chopped off the Russian soldier's head with a big machete.

Liu Wenxiu then asked the next Russian: "What about you?"

All the prisoners looked at the prisoner being questioned. The prisoner kept his mouth shut while Liu Wenxiu shouted, "One, two, three."

After shouting, seeing that the Mao Zedong still didn't speak, Liu Wenxiu raised his hand and fired a shot. Another person fell to the ground. The soldier holding the machete immediately walked over and chopped off the head with another blow. Such a simple and brutal method directly shocked Mao Zedong who was present. Liu Wenxiu walked to the third artilleryman and asked: "What about you?"

The artilleryman was a young man who couldn't bear the pressure and started crying. He said, "Don't ask me, I don't know, I really don't know..."

Hearing this, Liu Wenxiu immediately realized that there must be a big fish among the Russians. With this big fish around, these Russians would not dare to surrender. Liu Wenxiu said: "If you don't know, then who does?"

The Russian soldier didn't dare to answer, but just kept saying: "Don't ask me..."

Without a word, Liu Wenxiu raised his hand and shot down a Russian soldier. At this time, one of the Russian soldiers finally said, "Don't waste your time. We will never teach you artillery technology to massacre the people of the Great Russian Empire. You are a bunch of devils. You will be punished by God. We would rather die than surrender."

Liu Wenxiu walked up to the righteous old Russian and said, "I am waiting for your God to punish me. Since you also refuse, then..." Liu Wenxiu fired another shot, and another old Russian fell to the ground.

After firing, Liu Wenxiu walked out of the Russian ranks and said, "There are more than a hundred of you here. I'm going to send you to see God. Remember to ask God how he intends to punish me."

After saying that, Liu Wenxiu shot the creature that looked like the big fish. After the soldier chopped off its head, Liu Wenxiu started asking questions right next to the big fish: "What about you? Do you want to teach us how to fire or do you want to die now?"

Liu Wenxiu killed so many people at once that many Russians were on the verge of collapse. The fear in their hearts could no longer be hidden, and their faces were filled with fear. Since the people who were actually guarding them were still dead, there was no point in holding on any longer.

"I...I'm willing to teach."

After using all his strength to say this, the old man immediately collapsed to the ground. Liu Wenxiu nodded with satisfaction, patted his shoulder and said: "Good boy."

With the first guy willing to teach, the rest was much easier. If they were still stubborn and asked about it, they would be sent to see God. Finally, Liu Wenxiu looked around and found that he had not killed many people. Apart from the unlucky ones at the beginning, the rest of the old Russians were obedient and did whatever they were told to do.

Liu Wenxiu immediately began to form artillery units based on the artillery model described by the Russians, and then immediately had these formed artillery units begin to be taught by the Russians separately. He also recorded all the content of their teachings. If any Russian was found to have omitted some important details, they would not be able to escape the consequences of eating a peanut.

Liu Wenxiu knew that Anshan was not a place where he could stay for long. Once the news of the capture of Anshan spread, the Russians would definitely do their best to take back these cannons.

Liu Wenxiu returned to Anshan County and immediately began directing the troops' evacuation. First, he commanded his troops to tear up all the Russian railway tracks, hiding the tracks, splitting the sleepers, and blowing up the roadbed with explosives.

The next step was to count the results of the battle. The soldiers had already planned to loot all the supplies in Anshan County, whether they belonged to the Russians or the Qing court, and of course those landlords and gentry who had defected to the Russians. They were all among those looted by the soldiers.

Anshan was a key Russian transit and storage base, so guns, artillery, and ammunition were naturally plentiful. The comrades in charge of inventorying supplies found not only a large cache of artillery shells but also rows of neatly arranged boxes containing a thousand brand-new Mosin-Nagant rifles. Liu Wenxiu's more prized possession was ammunition, a staggering 400,000 rounds. There were also heavy machine gun rounds, Mauser pistols and ammunition, and five thousand kilograms of explosives.

In addition to the ammunition depot, the soldiers also seized a large amount of food from other material warehouses. Some of this food was transported by the Russians, while others were confiscated from the people. This food was enough to support the Russian divisions that were encircling Wujiabaozi and the Russians in Anshan County for a period of time. The amount of food can be imagined.

As a county rich in iron ore, Anshan's wealth completely exceeded Liu Wenxiu's expectations. The militiamen themselves came from humble backgrounds, and among the supplies they seized, they even confiscated the Russians' blankets. From churches and expatriates in Anshan County, the soldiers looted over 200,000 taels of gold and silver. They also looted provisions from the county government and patrol camps, as well as from landlords and gentry, totaling 550,000 taels of silver, along with numerous property deeds. After completing the inventory, he immediately ordered the requisition of mules, horses, and carts to transport the supplies out of Anshan County.

Only then did Liu Wenxiu finally have a moment of free time. He suddenly remembered that he still had a group of reporters to deal with, so he immediately called for them. During this time, Liu Wenxiu had also seized some newspapers and learned about the outside world's comments about Wujiabaozi. When he met with the reporters, Liu Wenxiu didn't ask them to clarify their previous reports. Instead, he remembered what Chairman Zhang Yinghao had said during a training session: If you don't occupy the public opinion battlefield yourself, the enemy will.

Even though her voice was tiny, Liu Wenxiu still felt that she could fight for it. Even if she failed, it would not be a big deal.

When the reporters were brought up, their hands were all tied. Liu Wenxiu looked at them and laughed, "It seems we are neglecting our guests."

After saying that, he quickly went to untie these reporters himself.

"My name is Liu Wenxiu, the bandit leader of Wujiabao, whom you all call the heinous one. We won't kill you. What's your name, reporters?"

"Frank."

"Marina."

"Don't be afraid, reporters. If we say we won't kill you, we won't kill you. Don't worry, you can leave Anshan soon. We won't stop you."

If the man before them hadn't admitted to being the leader of Wujiapuzi, and if they hadn't heard Liu Wenxiu say this, and seen how kind and smiling he was as he spoke to them, they would never have believed that he was the instigator of the atrocities in the mines and factories. However, after hearing Liu Wenxiu's words, the reporters immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

After Liu Wenxiu had the reporters sit down, he continued, "I had originally planned to hold a press conference after we had eliminated the Russian invaders in Anshan. Since you all happen to be here, I'll save you the trouble. You two will suffice. Do you have any questions? We're about to leave Anshan County."

When the reporters heard Liu Wenxiu say they could interview him, they immediately became excited. Liu Wenxiu was a prominent figure at the time. If they announced their capture of Anshan, the world would be stunned, and the Russian Empire would be utterly humiliated. The anti-bandit campaign might even come to nothing. This interview was definitely worth the money.

Frank listened and immediately said: "Really? Can I really ask you questions?"

"Haha, of course you can. I won't eat you. Of course, if it involves confidential information, I won't tell you."

"Mr. Liu, I'd like to ask, do you think Russia can continue its anti-bandit campaign?"

"Haha, you shouldn't ask me this question, but the Russian invaders. It was the Russian invaders who took the initiative to attack us, and so far, they still hold the initiative."

"You keep talking about Russian invaders, but the Russian Empire's suppression of bandits was approved by the Qing court."

"Haha, even if Tsarist Russia obtained the permission of the Qing court, it could not escape the fact that it was an invader, because this place has been Chinese territory since ancient times. The Tsarist Russian army entering here is an invasion."

Chapter 286:

Hearing that Liu Wenxiu had indeed answered the reporter's question, the reporters immediately became excited and started asking questions enthusiastically.

"Mr. Liu, how did you get out of the Russian army's encirclement?"

"On Chinese soil, we can go wherever we want, and the Russians can't stop us."

"Mr. Liu, do you think you can drive away the Russian invading army?" Hearing this question, all the reporters stopped writing. This question was quite sharp and very difficult to answer.

Liu Wenxiu laughed heartily and said, "We will certainly be able to drive out the Russian invaders, because our troops have been tempered by the flames of war and will become stronger with each battle. The people have experienced the devastation and tempering of Russia and will eventually be reborn. With all the people united, Tsarist Russia is no match for us."

At this time, Marina stood up and said, "Mr. Liu, are you going to continue to inhumanely kill Russian civilians? I saw with my own eyes the bodies of the elderly, children, women, and even pregnant women. They did not participate in the war, why are you treating them so cruelly?"

Liu Wenxiu burst into laughter upon hearing this question. The reporters shuddered at the sound of her laughter and her seemingly carefree face. It was like laughter emanating from hell. The calmer Liu Wenxiu appeared, the more she smiled, the more terrifying the meaning within.

"Reporter Marina, if you have time to go to the countryside and see the massacres and destruction of villages and towns committed by the Russian invaders, I think you will change your mind. The Russian invaders are not pure white lotuses. When we captured the Russian military camp outside the city, there were hundreds of Chinese women captured by the Russian army, who were used as military prostitutes by the Russian army. And~"

At this point, Liu Wenxiu stared at Marina and said, "You may be right, but these Russians shot at us with rifles from windows and unseen corners as we passed by. They helped the Russian invaders block us and tipped off the enemy. To ensure the safety of our soldiers, we had to kill them. I also want to use your pen to warn the Russian invaders: if you continue to kill the sons and daughters of China, we will continue to kill them until all the Russian invaders are wiped out."

When the reporters heard this, they all felt it sounded very familiar. After thinking about it, they realized that this was exactly what the Russian division commander had said before! It really is true that things change over time.

After Liu Wenxiu finished speaking, he tapped the table vigorously and said, "Record and publish my exact words. This is what I said. Even if the Russian invaders wipe out Wujiabaozi and kill me, Liu Wenxiu, our anti-Russian banner will not fall. Our people will continue to wage a desperate struggle against the Russian invaders until they are completely defeated. I believe that we will ultimately achieve complete victory..."

When seeing these reporters off, they finally saw the four big words "Blood debt must be paid with blood" made of skulls in front of the former Russian military camp.

Frank said to the reporters: "Let's go. This is not the scene we are familiar with, and this is not a war we can participate in!"

They did not stop, but just took a photo from a distance and left Anshan.

Liu Wenxiu returned to the headquarters and immediately issued the order to evacuate. The soldiers and the civilians he had summoned immediately drove mule and horse carts out of Anshan County. However, before they had gone 20 miles, Liu Wenxiu received a report that 2,000 Russian soldiers were approaching from the opposite direction, 6 miles away.

Liu Wenxiu was immediately confused. With so much supplies, he definitely couldn't leave. But he also couldn't stay here for too long, otherwise the Russians would get the news and surround him from all directions, and he would be seriously injured. The other officers were also confused when they heard the news.

"Commander, let's go quickly."

"Take the side road, or we might be surrounded."

After hearing what his comrades said, Liu Wenxiu was not so anxious. After looking at the map for a while, he said directly: "With so many artillery pieces, we can't move fast. Once the Russians stick to us, we will definitely suffer heavy losses. Moreover, so many villagers... prepare to fight. Artillery, Yu Dehai, you, the artillery commander, know how to fire artillery, right?"

"Know!"

Hearing the answer, Liu Wenxiu pointed and said, "Look at that area. That place is very suitable for a large Russian force to attack. We will stop the Russians there and attract a large number of them to attack. You must immediately take those Russian artillerymen up and ask them to adjust the scales and firing parameters. When the battle begins, you will seize the opportunity and fire directly at the Russian army. Those who are unwilling to fight will be stabbed to death with bayonets to save food. Whether we can win this time depends on whether these artillery pieces can really play their role."

The temporary artillery commander saluted and said, "We guarantee the mission will be accomplished." He then turned and left. Liu Wenxiu then addressed the command center, saying, "Only by defeating these two thousand Russians can this encirclement and suppression campaign be truly over. With our strength to defeat these two thousand Russians, they won't dare to attack us again. Go ahead, lead your troops, and prepare for battle."

Liu Wenxiu and his men were not the only ones surprised; the Russian commander was also surprised. Anshan was now a crucial Russian military base, not only providing food and drink for the encirclement and suppression forces, but also temporarily storing a large amount of supplies due to the railway disruption. Furthermore, Anshan County also housed a significant number of expatriates, making the loss of Anshan crucial. It was for this reason that Division Commander Vladimirovich had sent Commander Koryevsky back to guard these supplies.

He never thought that he would encounter the bandits from Wujiabaozi outside Anshan County. When he heard that a large convoy was coming from the opposite side of the vanguard troops, he didn't know what was going on in Anshan County. Although he had two thousand soldiers at this time, he was still a little scared.

The situation was unclear, and Captain Koryevsky was sure he wouldn't attack with his entire regiment. So he immediately sent a small team to conduct a test attack. This gave Liu Wenxiu and his men ample time to prepare for the battle.

Upon arriving at the artillery unit, Yu Dehai immediately began directing his troops to deploy their artillery positions. Yu Dehai, the temporary artillery commander at this point, was no Liu Wenxiu. He knew these artillery pieces could effectively cover the enemy's forces, especially the fifty-four long-barreled cannons, which the Russians called "cannons." Their range was several times greater than other artillery pieces. If they were fully versed in using these pieces, then with just over two hundred pieces, they would be able to completely blast the enemy into oblivion.

He now fully understood the power of the cannons before him. One blast would kill any enemy within a dozen meters with shrapnel. It was a true weapon of war. Looking at the slain Russians, he spat. "Those who refuse to accept a toast deserve to die." He glanced at the busy Russians again and sneered. Just wait for the cannon to fire, and those remaining Russians will never be able to return.

After the Russians adjusted the cannons, Yu Dehai checked them all out and found basically no major problems.

He saw the battle had already begun up ahead and began observing with binoculars. It wasn't time to fire yet; both sides were attacking with small units. After a short wait, Liu Wenxiu came again to inquire if the artillery was ready. By this time, Liu Wenxiu had already seen that the Russians on the other side had no desire to attack, no intention of pressing forward with a large force. Instead, they had begun setting up camp.

This made Liu Wenxiu impatient. He wanted a quick victory; stalling for time was not what he wanted. He knew defense alone couldn't completely defeat the enemy; the only way to defeat them was through offense. So, Liu Wenxiu decided to launch an offensive, aiming to break through the Russian defenses. With his troops ready, he asked the artillery for instructions.

After Yu Dehai learned about the situation, he immediately replied to Liu Wenxiu with four words: Artillery goes first.

He might not be able to accurately fire the cannon at a specific location, but it was also impossible for him to harm soldiers hundreds of meters away. After all, they had practiced firing cannons, and they could still prevent the cannon from harming their own soldiers from a distance of hundreds of meters. At Yu Dehai's command, the artillerymen of a cannon immediately fired the first shell since the artillery unit was established.

After the first test firing, the soldier observing the impact point immediately reported the parameters that needed to be adjusted. The soldiers then adjusted the firing parameters and prepared for the second round. With a scientific approach, the soldiers viewed each round as a learning opportunity. After each round, they quickly summarized the experience and lessons learned, striving for better and more accurate firing in the next round. The soldiers' learning ability astonished the Russians.

The Russians had no artillery at the time, and they were stunned when they saw Wujiabao firing cannons. Captain Koryevsky had no idea what kind of artillery fire he would face. After seeing a shell fired, he was still hesitant about what to do next: retreat or continue fighting. If Captain Koryevsky had known that the enemy had over 200 artillery pieces, he would never have dared to brazenly set up camp in the middle of the road, nor would he have dared to attack with 2,000 men. Instead, he would have immediately turned and fled with his troops.

However, the artillery unit didn't give Captain Koryevsky much time to think. After adjusting the firing parameters, the soldiers immediately opened fire with 154 howitzers. The dense shells exploded on the Russian positions, directly proving the saying of using a sledgehammer to kill a chicken.

This wasn't the middle to late stages of the Russo-Japanese War, nor was it World War I. How could the Russians dig trenches? After a single round of bombardment, the Russians collapsed. The command center was stunned by the artillery fire. This bombardment completely liberated their minds. Liu Wenxiu now understood even more clearly what Chairman Zhang Yinghao meant by "artillery is the god of war." Why was infantry needed here? Artillery could completely resolve the battle.

In fact, even Yu Dehai himself was shocked by the magnificent spectacle of 150 cannons firing in unison. It's no exaggeration to say that the bombardment was truly devastating. Even if not all of them hit the target, the Russians would have lost the courage to fight again.

Yu Dehai knew the howitzer didn't need to fire again, but he still fired the cannon to test the waters. He immediately aimed the cannon at the camp the Russians were building and fired a shot. As expected, the range completely exceeded the target. The observer immediately reported the data, and the soldiers immediately adjusted the firing parameters.

"fire."

Fifty-four cannons opened fire at once, their shells flying a long distance into the Russian

Explosions were blasting inside and outside the camp under construction. The leader of the Koryetsky Regiment was hit by a shell that exploded ten meters away from him, sending him directly to meet the