The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

Li Cheng couldn't bear to see so many men sacrificed in this battle, believing he had made a mistake in command. An urge surged within him: he wanted to personally lead his troops into a life-or-death battle against the British. He hated the British to the core. He remembered how many of his fellow soldiers had fought alongside him through thick and thin, comrades closer than brothers. Since their arrival in Tibet, their vanguard battalion had endured countless hardships and sufferings, training together and forging a brotherly bond.

Now, these comrades set foot on the battlefield under the command of Li Cheng.

The comrades who had lived together day and night and shared hardships suffered heavy casualties, and the soldiers' eyes were red with killing. At this time, Li Cheng looked at the comrades lying on the ground, and an uncontrollable impulse of self-destruction and redemption arose. Comrades died like this.

If he fell, what reason would Li Cheng, their battalion commander, have to live on with a shameless face? These extreme thoughts made Li Cheng's face begin to twist.

Li Cheng's only thought at this moment was, "I want to die with my comrades." "Comrades, our reinforcements are arriving soon, follow me and kill!" With this final shout, Li Cheng leaped from the trench. He himself had been shot in the right shoulder, which he had simply tied with a strip of cloth. The blood had now stained a large area of ​​his clothes red. Li Cheng deliberately placed the butt of his rifle against the wound, raised the rifle's muzzle, aimed at the British troops ahead, and pulled the trigger.

Bang, bang, bang, bang.

The sound of his comrades' gunfire echoed around Li Cheng. He pulled the trigger, and the recoil of the gun's butt struck the wound on his shoulder. The excruciating pain instantly transformed into a morbid pleasure, sending shudders through his body. He had no intention of escaping death; his only desire was to fight and die.

The battlefield is a crazy place. Once people become familiar with the smoke of the battlefield and the feeling of bullets flying, those who still dare to go to the battlefield are no longer afraid of death.

Li Cheng's concentration was intense, even reaching the point of a psychic state. Every bullet he fired hit the British soldier, a truly exceptional performance. It seemed as if Li Cheng had returned to the days of training with his comrades, the days when they had helped each other through difficult times. Perhaps Li Cheng wasn't thinking at all, completely entering a state of no-man, no-self, no-eyes, and even no-consciousness, his shooting prowess reaching the level of a blind sniper. Li Cheng's vision had become unusually clear, the British soldiers' figures magnified before him, and every shot hit its mark. He finished his rifle, then, without further delay, drew his pistol and resumed firing.

Only after he had used up all the bullets in his body did he pick up his rifle and rush into the battlefield.

The two main battalions of the British and the Revolutionary Army clashed with bayonets, and both sides were almost wiped out, which shows how brutal the battle was.

Dawar, accompanied by a few guards, called on the officers around him to begin directing the retreat while he led the retreat to the rear. Soldiers from both sides were locked in a fierce battle; such a retreat could not possibly be orderly, lacking organization and guidance. The order for a full retreat could not even be transmitted to the entire front.

Seeing Dawar and his men retreat, the remaining British troops lost their will to fight and wanted to retreat as well. During this distraction, many British soldiers were assassinated by the revolutionaries. The arrival of Li Cheng and his new force immediately boosted the morale of the revolutionaries. Conversely, the British knew by then that their attack had failed.

Some brave British soldiers continued to fight, believing that the British troops behind them would support them, or at least retreat together. However, they had no idea that the British troops behind them had already begun to flee for their lives, leaving them as abandoned pawns. Many British soldiers were so shocked by the heroic appearance of the fleeing officers that they forgot to fight and just stayed where they were. Naturally, the revolutionaries would not miss this opportunity and immediately stabbed and killed many of the dazed British soldiers.

"The British army collapsed, the British army fled, comrades, kill them." "Kill them."

With each shout, even though the British soldiers didn't know what the revolutionaries were saying, they knew their attack had failed. Some British soldiers simply dropped their guns and knelt in surrender, but many of them were still stabbed to death by the murderous revolutionaries.

Beep~beep~beep.....

With an inspiring bugle call, the reinforcements from the 8th Regiment finally arrived on the battlefield. Their morale was high, and they swept away the remaining British troops like fallen leaves in the autumn wind. Then, without stopping, the 8th Regiment continued its advance towards the British positions.

At this time, the British position was quiet and the revolutionary army had no idea what was happening inside the British camp.

In order to avoid unnecessary casualties, the soldiers of the 8th Regiment adopted the tactics of "artillery bombardment-infantry charge" in their first attack. After a burst of smoke, a battalion of revolutionary troops bravely rushed towards the British position under the encouragement of the charge, followed by soldiers from two battalions.

"It's already a hundred meters, why haven't the enemy opened fire yet?"

Li Cheng was among the attacking soldiers at this time. He didn't believe that the revolutionary army's artillery shells could kill all the British soldiers. He looked at the quiet British position, which seemed like a huge mouth devouring flesh and blood. He remembered the battle in which he had killed an entire British battalion. Suddenly, he felt a pang of fear. Just as he was about to order his troops to temporarily retreat, he saw hundreds of British soldiers suddenly appear on the position and open fire on the revolutionary army at the same time. Heavy machine guns and artillery shells immediately fired at the revolutionary army, weaving a dense network of fire. Many revolutionary soldiers who were only 100 meters away from the enemy's front line didn't even have time to lie down before being mowed down in droves.

"Get down, get down now."

Although the Revolutionary Army had previously taught their comrades how to survive the enemy's powerful firepower, firstly, the comrades had just joined the scene and annihilated a British attacking force, their morale was high, and by this point in the battle, their advantage was already very clear, so everyone was somewhat complacent. Secondly, many things can never be learned without personal experience or feeling, or even if they did learn, they would not be able to recall how to apply them in a very short time. Unfortunately, the British attack did not allow hundreds of Revolutionary Army soldiers to have the opportunity to try and fail. Thirdly, human instinct is safety in numbers. When attacked, many soldiers did not immediately lie down or disperse, but instead wanted to gather together, which greatly increased the casualties of the Revolutionary Army.

"withdraw....."

"Deng Zhigao, how did you manage to be the battalion commander? Did you return all the tactics I taught you so quickly to the instructors?"

Chapter 312:

The 8th Regiment's commander was furious. The infantry tactics Zhang Yinghao had taught them were the product of decades of bloody battles by the People's Liberation Army, and had proven incredibly effective during the Korean War. They were the pinnacle of light infantry tactics, capable of significantly reducing enemy firepower without significantly impacting their own firepower.

Take the attack formation, for example. Each soldier's distance was strictly regulated, based on enemy fire. For example, a mortar shell could only hit one person, a 105mm grenade could only hit two three-man teams, and even crossfire, the most lethal to infantry, could only knock out two three-man teams.

The comrades had clearly mastered these tactics in training, yet they still couldn't strictly implement them in actual combat. It's no wonder the 8th Regiment's commander was so angry. This was just the most basic of tactics. If strict requirements were applied, these tactics would have to be flexibly adjusted according to the enemy's firepower, manpower, and combat effectiveness. Wouldn't that make it even more difficult for the revolutionary army to achieve this?

"Captain, let's charge again. We will definitely be able to capture the British position and tear open a gap..."

This time, just like the British army before, the revolutionary army suffered hundreds of casualties without even killing a single enemy. Battalion Commander Deng Zhigao was naturally unwilling to accept this and immediately asked the regimental commander to give them another chance.

The 8th Regiment's commander's expression darkened as he spoke in a deep voice, "We'll give you one more chance. The artillery will continue its assault to support you, and the 6th Battalion will also attack alongside you. Comrade Li Cheng, you should go down and rest first!"

"Report to the regiment commander, we are still able to fight, and we will never leave the front line even if we are slightly injured." The regiment commander looked at Li Cheng for a while, nodded, and said nothing more.

The Revolutionary Army launched another attack, but unlike the previous time, the British army remained reticent. This time, when the Revolutionary Army was still over a thousand meters away, a barrage of various artillery shells suddenly erupted from the British positions. The impact was extremely accurate, knocking down dozens of men in an instant, and the morale of the attacking troops was immediately severely damaged. It seemed that the British army had learned from the previous experience of Li Cheng and his men and dared not let the enemy get too close before opening fire, lest they end up getting burned.

But at this time, Deng Zhigao and his men had no choice but to bravely move forward. Revenge for the dead comrades was the best slogan! At this time, all the artillery of the 8th Regiment opened fire under the order of the regiment commander.

"All cannons, fire without restraint! Use all your shells until they're all gone. Damn it, this life is unbearable! Move your howitzers and mortars forward immediately and blast the hell out of you!"

The 75mm cannons shipped to XZ were still quite lethal for the era. Once the Revolutionary Army's artillery opened fire, the British artillery could no longer focus on shelling the attacking Revolutionary Army. More howitzers and mortars, having advanced to effective range, roared in succession. The howitzers were more numerous and fired at a faster rate. Under the continuous barrage of shells that rained down like rain, the British army's crude fortifications were blasted to pieces, and the British suffered heavy losses. The artillery positions that had not had time to relocate were all destroyed by the Revolutionary Army after their positions were determined and destroyed.

"Five grams of oil, are we the great power or are our enemies the great power?"

Dawar, cursing, stuck his head out to watch, his expression suddenly changing. During the bombardment, the revolutionary infantry had already begun charging. However, the revolutionary artillery had not stopped firing, completely ignoring the possibility of accidental injuries to their comrades caused by the explosion.

Clearly, this was a completely new tactic. If no solution was found, the revolutionary army would simply charge into the position, and this battle would be unnecessary. Dawar couldn't help but recall what Younghusband had just said to them: "The attack on Lhasa has failed. Now we must delay until nightfall, so that the troops have a chance to break out and return to British India. Otherwise, everyone will either die in battle or become prisoners of the Yellow Monkeys. I've already armed 7,000 civilians, and we must hold out until nightfall."

In reality, Younghusband's attempt to break out was a pipe dream. The distance from Qushui to Yadong was 400 kilometers. Even if they managed to break out, how far could they get? They couldn't move fast with their baggage, and without it, they couldn't defeat the revolutionary army. Unless they all dispersed and broke out, perhaps some of them would have a chance to escape and return to British India.

But orders are orders, and they should hold their ground until dark. Dawar roared fiercely, "Warriors, bayonets!"

Dawal also learned that when he attacked, the revolutionary army dared to charge with bayonets, so why should the British army not dare to do the same?

"Yes!"

The British soldiers answered loudly, then took out their bayonets and installed them, waiting for Dawar's orders.

"Warriors, countercharge!"

Thousands of British soldiers braved the artillery fire and bravely rushed out of their positions, engaging in a bayonet fight with the revolutionaries. The artillery was stunned. If they continued to bombard, the number of casualties would be too high. They had no choice but to engage in artillery battle with the British again. As for the mortars, which had a shorter range, they could only watch the attacking troops and the British troops rushing out of their positions in a bloody battle.

Logically speaking, the revolutionary army, with its emphasis on bayonet training, should have been able to defeat the British. However, training is still training, and most of the revolutionary army lacked experience in bayonet combat. The British troops fighting them were incredibly proud, looking down on the plainly dressed and short-statured revolutionary army. The British were generally taller than the short Sichuanese, and their arms were incredibly strong, giving them a significant advantage in bayonet combat, and they fought with exceptional effort. However, it wasn't long before the revolutionary army, which had rushed forward, was driven back like ducks. If it weren't for the timely support of artillery fire, these over a thousand men would have been completely slaughtered by the British...

In fact, this is also the difference between attacking and defending. If it is a defense, the revolutionary army may be able to hold on, but if it is an attack, it will be blocked by the British army and it will be unable to attack. At this time, cowardice will arise...

"The revolutionary army actually lost in hand-to-hand combat. Don't you feel ashamed? Where is Deng Zhigao? Where is Li Cheng? Don't you dare come to see me?" The commander of the 8th Regiment said angrily with a dark face.

The 6th Battalion Commander said with a gloomy face: "Battalion Commander Deng died, and Battalion Commander Li Cheng was seriously injured and has been sent to the hospital unconscious... The British troops this time are different from the previous ones. They seem to have no regard for life at all, and their bayonets are particularly fierce..."

As he spoke, his voice immediately choked with sobs, clearly suffering a deep psychological trauma. The Revolutionary Army wasn't a disposable force. In other armies, a soldier with this kind of psychological trauma wouldn't receive timely treatment and would live in the shadows for the rest of their lives. Fortunately, the Revolutionary Army had political cadres who could restore the soldiers' morale...

However, to annihilate these mere few thousand British troops, the revolutionary army had suffered countless casualties. They had also expended countless precious artillery shells, painstakingly transported from Sichuan. Yet, they still couldn't even reach the British positions. Should they continue the attack? Or should they resort to a siege? Not only were his subordinates beginning to waver, but even the regimental commander himself hesitated. But then he heard someone singing...

Led by the political commissar, the soldiers gazed at the hillside strewn with corpses and sang, "Arise, those who refuse to be slaves! Let us forge our new Great Wall with our flesh and blood. The Chinese nation has reached its most dangerous moment. Everyone is forced to let out a final roar..."

Soon, all the comrades in the 8th Regiment unconsciously joined in the singing, "Rise up! Rise up! Rise up! We are united as one, braving the artillery fire and marching forward~..."

The singing soon reached the British positions, and Dahua immediately felt unprecedented pressure. Although the British army had won two consecutive victories, their casualties were not much less than those of the revolutionary army under the fierce artillery fire and attack of the revolutionary army.

Attacking twice, they would have to fight to the death. But the reputation of the British Empire cannot be lost. Even for the sake of face and his own future, Dawar must persist until

I will fight till the end, until the enemy retreats or I die in battle. Just thinking about dying in this godforsaken XZ makes me feel a little unwilling...

The passionate and tragic tune of "March of the Revolutionary Army" instantly aroused the revolutionary army's enthusiasm.

The revolutionary army sang the "Chinese Revolutionary Song" again, and the fighting spirit of the whole army was immediately high. The leader of the 8th Regiment finally made up his mind to attack again.

But at this moment, the division commander Li Yong issued an order for all troops to temporarily stop the attack. After resting for an hour, the entire division launched a unified attack, completely defeating the British army in one fell swoop and completely wiping out the British army.

Li Yong knew that after wiping out two British battalions, combined with the British troops they had eliminated along the way, the British regular army now numbered only 1,500 men. Even if they armed all the Indian laborers, their numbers would still be outnumbered by the revolutionary army. Furthermore, the actual combat effectiveness of these Indian laborers remained a matter of debate. At this point, Li Yong could conclude that the British army would no longer dare to advance towards Lhasa. They should be considering retreat or surrender.

Taking into account that our army had an absolute advantage in manpower at this time, the encirclement troops on all sides had already moved into position. After the 8th Regiment moved into position, Li Yong no longer held back and prepared to launch the final attack.

"I'm most afraid of the air suddenly becoming quiet, and I'm most afraid of..."

At this moment, the battlefield, once replete with the roar of artillery, suddenly fell eerily silent, and all the British knew this was a bad omen. John Claude Walter paced back and forth in the command room, looking terrified. Meanwhile, Younghusband continued to hunch over the map, carefully examining it.

Yan Bing and Li Yong were also discussing the British army at this time, and they heard Yan Bing say: "Do you think the British will surrender?"

The Revolutionary Army's first battle was Zhang Yinghao's capture of Liu Youcai's manor. In reality, the Revolutionary Army didn't engage in many offensives; the most common were sieges, where the defenders were still the Qing patrol battalions. Yan Bing knew that if the British continued to resist and fought the Revolutionary Army to the death, the Revolutionary Army would undoubtedly suffer heavy casualties.

"It would be best if they surrender, so that our manpower and material resources can be used elsewhere. If they stubbornly resist, then we will bite the bullet and take down this tough nut, no matter how great the sacrifice. We are giving the British army a chance now, and it depends on whether they are willing to accept our kindness."

"Alas, the Chairman said the army is a violent machine. Now that we are negotiating with the British army, it is actually because our machine is not violent enough and cannot defeat the British army."

After hearing Ye Chen's words, Yan Bing said: "We must use the weapons of criticism, but we must not lose the weapons of criticism. Even if we can defeat the British army, we still have to negotiate. If they can surrender, we can save our time and energy and reduce the casualties of our comrades."

The revolutionary army's negotiation team rode on horseback, waving the Red Cross flag and heading towards the British position with Bai Qi.

"Captain, why do we have to raise the white flag? I always feel uncomfortable." The captain said, "Raising the white flag doesn't mean surrender, but rather a request to send someone to the enemy headquarters to explain the conditions and intentions. It means a truce and negotiation. If we don't raise the white flag, the British army might kill us in two shots."

"Why ask them to surrender? Just kill them all." The team leader smiled and did not answer.

When they arrived in front of the British position, the British soldiers immediately treated it as a major enemy and aimed their guns at the members of the negotiation team.

"Comrade Rong Hongpeng, the revolutionary army will negotiate with him immediately."

After listening to the captain's translation, the British soldiers immediately stepped forward, pulled the three negotiators off their horses, and immediately searched them. The search was understandable. They were unarmed and allowed the British soldiers to search them. After the search, the British soldiers wanted to tie them up with ropes. The revolutionary soldiers naturally refused to accept this and immediately shouted: "Is this how you British gentlemen treat representatives who come to negotiate?"

Chapter 313:

Upon hearing the revolutionary's words, a British officer immediately stopped his men from tying up the soldiers. They were well aware of the British's current predicament. The revolutionary's artillery and field battles were already worthy of the British's serious attention. Especially now, the sudden silence on the battlefield instilled a strong sense of crisis in the British. They all knew that before the storm comes peace and quiet, but when the storm arrives, everything becomes unstoppable.

“What are you doing here?”

"We, the revolutionary army, now formally demand that you surrender to us within one hour. If you surrender, we will not launch any more attacks and will guarantee the safety of your personal property and lives. If you do not surrender, we will launch our attack one hour later. Immediately notify your Colonel Younghusband, or you will be held responsible for all consequences."

Hearing that the British army was to surrender, the British officer's face immediately turned red. Many British soldiers pointed their guns at the three representatives and glared at them. It was really shameful to surrender to the yellow monkeys. However, when the officer heard that the revolutionary army was going to launch an attack, he dared not neglect it any longer and immediately sent someone to report it.

Not long after, someone came with Rong Hepeng's order and led three representatives

Go in. Not long after they walked, they were taken to a temporary bunker. After the revolutionary army entered, all the officers inside immediately looked at them.

After being introduced, Zhao Tieshan saluted Colonel Rong Hepeng and said, "I am Zhao Tieshan, a representative of the Revolutionary Army."

Rong Hepeng reluctantly returned the military salute and said, "Aren't you afraid that we will kill you by coming here?"

Zhang Tieshan was not afraid after hearing the translation. He said directly: "Our division commander said that if you kill the three of us, we will not leave a single prisoner in this anti-aggression war."

After replying to the British, Zhao Tieshan reiterated his earlier request for the British to surrender, then continued, "Don't even think about breaking out now. We have revolutionary troops blocking your retreat. Furthermore, this place is hundreds of kilometers away from the British Indian region. Unless you grow wings, you will never be able to fly out."

The people in the bunker looked grim upon hearing this. Rong Hepeng even asked with a sullen face, "Are you so sure you can defeat us?"

"Even if we surround you, how many days can you hold out?"

After hearing this, John Claude Walter immediately asked, "Is the time we spend negotiating now also included?"

Zhao Tieshan didn't hide anything and answered directly: "How long we negotiate and how long you consider it will not change the timing of our attack. When the time comes, the battle will break out."

"How many of you are there?"

"Haha, you'll be able to see it when we attack. I can only tell you that it's everywhere in the mountains."

Hearing Zhao Tieshan actually laugh, the British officers felt humiliated. Then they heard Younghusband threaten, "Let us go immediately. We admit defeat this time. Otherwise, you will face the wrath of the British Expeditionary Force."

After listening to the translation, Zhao Tieshan laughed and said, "Haha, your British Empire is very powerful, and perhaps your expeditionary force is also very powerful. But if you dare to invade China again, either kill us all like you killed the Indians, otherwise Britain will not be able to conquer China, and this place will become a graveyard for invaders. As for those of you who invade China, I have a message for you: Anyone who offends the majesty of China will be punished, no matter how far away or how strong. If you want to impose war on China, then we have only one thing to say: If you want to fight, then we will fight."

After the translator translated these words to Rong Hepeng and others, all the British fell silent.

Without waiting for the Englishman to speak again, Zhao Tieshan continued, "Colonel, I have conveyed everything to you. Do you have any questions?"

"Someone, send them away."

After hearing this, Zhang Tieshan stood up and turned to leave. As he reached the door, he suddenly remembered something, looked at his watch, and said, "Everyone, it's 2:28 PM now. You still have 32 minutes, oh no, 31 minutes to think about it. I hope to see you again next time. I wish you good luck."

The revolutionary army has completed all its deployments at this time, and is just waiting for an order. Tens of thousands of revolutionary soldiers will be able to attack the British camp from all directions. Unless the British army plans to burn themselves to death, they will definitely be able to capture the British position.

Yan Bing and the others didn't pay much attention to Zhao Tieshan's report. The revolutionary army's preparations had never stopped. On the contrary, as the encirclement narrowed, the deployment speed increased.

"Artillery, move forward. No matter what the British decide, we must be ready to fire at three points. This is just a small camp. Bomb all the marked targets."

"Commander, do you think we really need to capture the British positions now?" "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that as long as the British remain in Tibet, the main contradiction will always be between us and the British. If we eliminate the British, then the contradiction will change, and the contradiction between us and those monks, lamas, and chieftains will immediately become the main contradiction."

"Surround without attacking? That won't work either. We can't leave so many troops here to defend against the British. These troops must be released."

"These troops cannot actually be released because we still have to station troops on the Sino-British border."

"Then let's reconsider. For now, just bombard the enemy with artillery fire and avoid using infantry." By this time, the atmosphere within the British army had reached a freezing point. News of the Revolutionary Army's attack at three o'clock spread like wildfire throughout the barracks. Everyone awaited orders from Younghusband and John Claude Walter. However, the British army received no clear orders.

The situation had changed so drastically that the British were completely bewildered, not knowing what to do. While the generals focused on war, the political officers were more concerned with politics and economics. The situation now threatened to become so dire that unless the revolutionary army made drastic concessions, they would find it difficult to escape the XZ region. This reminded them of Afghanistan.

As for the British government, they faced another challenge. Their reputation had been damaged by the war. A local rebel group in Sichuan, China, had driven the British Empire into a state of panic. If this news reached Europe, wouldn't the European powers be laughing their heads off? How could the government officials tolerate such absurdity?

But the reality was cruel. Nearly 2,000 British troops and 7,000 to 8,000 Indians were now trapped in Qushui County, unable to advance or retreat. The revolutionary army could have easily taken them down in one fell swoop, but something strange happened. The revolutionary army simply surrounded them and bombarded them, but did not send any infantry to attack.

After receiving the telegram from Yan Bing and his team, Zhang Yinghao thought for a moment and replied, "Don't be so clever."

Zhang Yinghao's point was clear: the Chinese authorities knew the revolutionary army had entered Tibet and had no intention of leaving. If they kept the British in Tibet even though they could have annihilated them, and if they believed the Chinese authorities were unaware of the revolutionary army's plans, they were treating them like fools. The struggle should be fought head-on; there was no need for these petty tricks, which only made them disgusting.

Zhang Yinghao wasn't actually worried about whether the revolutionary army could defeat the British in Tibet. Why? The revolutionary army possessed three magical weapons, a truly lethal weapon. Even if they didn't achieve immediate military victory and the British invaded Lhasa, it wouldn't matter. As long as the revolutionary army immediately established itself in Tibet and began to employ the three magical weapons, any foreign force would ultimately be defeated.

Moreover, with the powerful external force of Britain, the Forward Party and the Revolutionary Army organizations will become more advanced, the united front work will be better carried out, and they will be more able to win the help of the XZ people and gain the support of more patriotic forces.

Zhang Yinghao has never understood why so many people in later generations brag about the Battle of Moscow during World War II. It's as if the Germans had captured Moscow, the Soviet Union would have perished, and World War II could not have been won. In reality, this wasn't the case at all. China also lost Beijing and Nanjing, but did it lose the country? So even if the Germans had captured Moscow, at most, World War II would have been prolonged slightly; it wouldn't have been a big deal.

Of course, Zhang Yinghao was more aware of the current power of the British Empire. He also knew that being a British mafia boss wasn't easy. What they feared most wasn't a direct fight or a loss of money; what they feared most was losing face. Once a mafia boss lost face, and someone dared to disrespect him, his followers would become disloyal.

According to Zhang Yinghao's original plan, the troops would have fought the British in the Gyantse area, thus driving them out of Tibet. However, the British, knowing full well that the revolutionary army was entering Tibet, foolishly rushed into the enemy's path. Did the British think that just because they could massacre Tibetan soldiers, they could also massacre the revolutionary army?