The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

But now the problem arose: these British were trapped in Qushui County. Even if they were allowed to flee, they wouldn't be able to reach India anytime soon. Furthermore, the revolutionary army had completely surrounded them. If they weren't defeated, it would be difficult to explain to the people of Tibet and would be unfair to the revolutionary army and Tibetan soldiers and civilians who died resisting the invasion. This British invasion burned villages and temples, and killed over 10,000 Tibetan soldiers and civilians.

The Revolutionary Army's vanguard battalion suffered an 85% casualty rate in this anti-aggression war. Only 50 to 60 soldiers remained intact from the battalion, and over 300 men were buried on the snowy plateau. This set a record for the Revolutionary Army's casualties since its founding, a record that was not broken until many years later.

It was through this battle that the revolutionary army, with its goals in mind, finally realized the gap between itself and the world's most advanced armies, and understood the combat effectiveness of the world's most advanced armies. It also brought home the cruelty of war, which played an indelible role in its subsequent political mobilization and organizational development.

Of course, another issue is the subsequent British accusation that the Revolutionary Army massacred British surrendering personnel. The reality was that the soldiers, blinded by their bloodlust, bayoneted those kneeling in surrender. The reinforcements, their morale high, saw hundreds of our soldiers killed, and naturally vented their anger on those British soldiers who hesitated to surrender. Bullets and bayonets were fired at them, and casualties were inevitable. In the end, only a dozen seriously wounded and unconscious British soldiers from the attacking battalion survived.

The wounded of the revolutionary army had been sent to the military hospital at this time. With the help of morphine hydrochloride anesthetic, the doctors immediately performed surgery on these comrades and used plasma, saline, clean gauze, lime water and other room disinfectants. However, dozens of soldiers still died despite failed rescue efforts.

Li Cheng, the vanguard battalion commander, led the charge and then covered his comrades during the retreat. Despite three gunshot wounds and five bayonet cuts, he fought to the death. Due to severe injuries and excessive blood loss, he collapsed upon leaving the battlefield. Because his blood type was listed on his serial number, military doctors promptly gave him a blood transfusion and treatment, but he ultimately did not fulfill his wish to die on the battlefield.

In reality, if Zhang Yinghao had commanded this battle, the situation wouldn't have unfolded in this way. However, this was simply the limitations of the times. Without experiencing the ravages of war, one can't liberate their minds and approach warfare with a pragmatic approach. For example, trench warfare flourished during the Russo-Japanese War and World War I, but with the advent of tanks during World War II, its effectiveness was greatly diminished. Similarly, hand grenades only gained renewed prominence during trench warfare during the Russo-Japanese War.

As for mobile warfare, guerrilla warfare, mine warfare, etc., this can only be said to be Chinese

It's even a truly remarkable achievement in the history of world wars, one of a kind. You have to remember that all the generals of New China who followed were veterans of countless battles, and all who hadn't crawled out of piles of corpses. Only these individuals could always make the best choices based on current material conditions, even exceeding them to accomplish impossible tasks.

At the military academy, Zhang Yinghao had also taught about mobile warfare. However, he had few case studies, and the comrades had little practical experience, so they simply didn't apply what he taught. Forget the revolutionary army; just like the infantrymen in this battle against the British, the British hadn't yet shed the constraints of old-fashioned warfare and entered a new era of machine guns and artillery.

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Zhang Yinghao believes that as more and more cases are presented, and as these comrades personally experience more battles, campaigns, and even wars, they will be able to truly grow up as soldiers. After all, theory without practice is empty theory.

Only when these soldiers have learned about war through war can they face any emergency or special situations that may arise in the future and know how to deal with them.

Zhang Yinghao didn't think he had any reason to influence military command with information he knew only and unknown to the troops. It was okay once, but what about the next time? And the next time after that? Would Zhang Yinghao have to personally command every battle from now on?

—A general's success is built on the bones of thousands of soldiers. Among these bones are not only the enemy's, but even more are the fallen on his own side. Are those generals born heartless?

Lung, don't you care about the lives of the soldiers? Zhang Yinghao is negative about this. Many lessons must be accumulated with blood and life. If you have not experienced great pain, you often have no memory and do not understand the way of being cautious.

And they will become more daring.

Li Yong saw the report's record of brutal combat, and he could already imagine the brutality of the battle. He also gradually understood that soldiers were merely consumables in war, and that commanders could only maximize their effectiveness.

What truly shocked Li Yong was the final outcome of the Vanguard Battalion. Despite suffering heavy losses in the initial bayonet engagements, the comrades persevered, remaining on the front lines despite minor injuries. In the final moments, Li Cheng led the experienced Vanguard Battalion to cover their retreat, even conducting a minor counter-charge that prevented the retreating troops from collapsing and enabled most of the comrades to evacuate safely.

Li Yong and Yan Bing were reading the report when a voice suddenly called out, "Report, a telegram from the Chairman."

Yan Bing took it and looked at it, then immediately fell silent. He then handed the telegram to Li Yong, who took a look and said, "We are indeed being a little clever in our view of the British army."

Trying to use the contradiction between China and Britain to cover up the contradiction between the Progressive Party and the top leaders of the Communist Party of China, or to delay the outbreak of this contradiction, is like trying to cover up one's own mistakes and stealing the bell. It is just a trick, and you will suffer a great loss in the future.

At this time, Ye Chen walked in and said, "I heard that the Chairman received a telegram. Did he say what to do with the British in the encirclement?"

"No, but they want us to quickly defeat the British." Li Yong handed the telegram to Ye Chen. After reading it, Ye Chen said: "Then defeat them. I just don't know what the Chairman plans to do with the British inside."

"Haha, we'll know only after we shoot it down. There's a bird flying across the sky..." "Oh, I see."

In fact, Zhang Yinghao didn't care about the lives of the British. After the British first occupied Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, a large-scale anti-British uprising broke out in Afghanistan. The remaining British troops and their families, about 1.6 people, were forced to retreat and ended up embarking on a death march. They were constantly attacked by Afghans along the way. Most of them were killed, and a few were captured and held hostage. Only one military doctor named William Brighton escaped and reported to the British that the British army had been completely annihilated.

In the Second Anglo-Afghan War, in the Battle of Maiwand, 1700 British soldiers were killed, which made Britain abandon its plan to completely occupy Afghanistan. The British even said that their rule over Afghanistan was limited to the range of artillery.

Therefore, to deal with invaders, we must kill them and scare them into a state of terror, so that they will not dare to invade again. Talking about benevolence, righteousness, and morality with invaders is foolish. Only the victor can be magnanimous, tolerant, and merciful, and use benevolence, righteousness, and morality to restrain the weak.

After understanding the Party Central Committee's intention, Li Yong did not delay any longer and immediately ordered his troops to attack the besieged British troops. In order to prevent the British from desperately fighting the revolutionary army, the revolutionary army adopted the tactic of surrounding three sides and leaving one side open, leaving a loophole leading to India.

However, Li Yong and his companions' concerns were clearly unnecessary. While the British felt humiliated by surrendering to the revolutionary army, they were able to analyze the situation realistically, believing that humiliation was better than death. Furthermore, for white people, surrender wasn't as important as it was for Asians. The reason Asians placed such a high value on surrender was due to cultural influences from China.

So when the revolutionary army bombarded them, the British did not surrender. However, after the revolutionary army sounded the charge, the British finally and reluctantly raised the white flag, and the revolutionary army immediately stopped the attack. Then, Younghusband and John Claude Water brought the British flag and raised the white flag to the revolutionary army headquarters for negotiations.

Li Yong addressed the two men directly, saying, "You must surrender unconditionally. Hand over all your supplies and ammunition today. You must not intentionally damage your weapons, or you will be fined tenfold. We will hold a surrender ceremony here in two days, and you will formally hand over your weapons to us."

"why?"

"Because I won, it's that simple. Your personal safety will be protected by us. If you can prove that your personal property is yours, we will not confiscate it. However, all the property you looted must be confiscated."

Rong Hepeng's face darkened a little after hearing this, but Li Yong ignored him and said, "We are already being very righteous by not pursuing the crimes you committed against our people. What I mean is to kill you all and get it over with. In this world, thousands of people will die without anyone knowing. But since you surrendered, we will let you go out of humanitarianism. Don't be ungrateful. You British officers, we can let you go back in the future. Your soldiers will stay and work for us for free for ten years as atonement. After ten years, we will let them go. Of course, if you want to go back quickly, you can go to Sichuan to negotiate for your redemption."

"What? I have to pay to redeem it?"

"Yes, you have caused us such great losses, and this is necessary compensation. Of course, this can be done privately so as not to bring shame to your British Empire. As for those Indians, all of them must stay and work for free for 20 years. After 20 years, if they are willing to return, we will hand them over to you again. If you don't want them, we will deal with them later."

The Englishman opened his mouth but said nothing. To them, Indians were nothing more than livestock; they could have as many as they wanted, and if they killed one, there would be another. He couldn't understand the revolutionary army's intentions.

There was no room for negotiation on what Li Yong said. Rong Hepeng and his men had to either agree and sign, or be wiped out by the revolutionary army. In the end, they had no choice but to sign this unconditional surrender.

Yan Bing held the surrender document, stared at Younghusband and said, "We in China welcome your British Empire to invade again, but next time, don't send a few thousand people to deliver food. As long as you can send more than 50,000 troops from your homeland, you may be able to reach Lhasa, but you must be prepared to not be able to retreat from China. Of course, if you invade again, we will train these thousands of Indians to become revolutionaries and revolutionary fighters. From now on, your crown jewel, India, will set off a wave of revolution and will never be safe again. That's all I have to say. You can do whatever you want."

This was a blatant threat, but it wasn't really a threat; it merely described a partial reality and possibility. If the Progressive Party truly wanted to train these six or seven thousand Indians and then send them to India to start a revolution, the British army would ultimately be helpless. Even a few dozen revolutionaries from a population of several thousand would be enough to put the British in a difficult position.

That same day, the British ordered the Indians to hand over all their ammunition and other supplies to the revolutionary army, and even these Indians became part of the revolutionary army's spoils of war. With the Sino-British conflict over, the revolutionary army had the time and energy to recruit Tibetan armed forces and make them its own. The revolutionary army would never allow these armed forces to become part of the Tibetan armed forces again.

"Commissar, what does the Chairman mean? Why hold a surrender ceremony?" "Haha, it's neither right nor justifiable! This ceremony signifies the end of the British invasion. And this ceremony isn't just for show. We've already invited officials and lamas from China to witness it, to let them know the glorious achievements of our revolutionary army."

"So what's the deal with these Indians and the British?" "Those British are our bargaining chips. As for the Indians, they're accomplices of the invasion. China needs a lot of construction right now, so wouldn't it be nice to add a few thousand more workers? Of course, we won't make these Indians work for free for twenty years like the British suggest. We'll still pay them, but it'll be lower."

"I still feel a little bad about sparing these Englishmen."

"This is politics. The Chairman said we can't turn our country into an isolated island. These soldiers we release will be the best propaganda tools in the future. Furthermore, these people surrendered, and even the ancients knew that killing prisoners was not a good omen. If we kill them all now, what good will it do except vent our anger? If we want to stop being invaded by other countries, we must become stronger. Killing these people won't solve any problems; it will only add to our problems and troubles. But keeping them will make us even stronger."

Many people say that compromise is the core of politics and politics is the art of compromise. Others say that politics is a deal and is dirty. Politicians are a group of people who swallow their pride and tell lies with their eyes closed, putting aside all their pain. Humans are political creatures. Marxism says that humans are the sum of all social relations.

Therefore, politicians should put past historical events to rest, acknowledge the current situation and facts, and then move forward. Just like the Taizu Emperor's waiver of Japan's indemnity, while somewhat generous, it also constituted a closure on the damage Japan inflicted on China. Without this closure, Sino-Japanese relations cannot advance to the next level. Of course, forgetting history is tantamount to betrayal, and the damage inflicted by Japan's war of aggression cannot be forgotten. However, history remains history because it has become part of history books. No matter how great the suffering or how glorious the past, we should not dwell on it. Time constantly marches forward, and history needs constant updates and turning of pages.

Politicians must constantly move forward, as they represent the interests of a certain segment of the people. If they remain like petty bourgeois, clinging to the past and unable to extricate themselves, they will be unable to lead the people forward and will naturally be abandoned by the people. Just like the "Four Olds" campaign, a vast number of cultural relics and historical sites were destroyed. Later generations felt deeply sorry for these relics, as they considered them to be the legacy of Chinese culture and civilization.

This is a bit funny. Ultimately, inheritance depends on people. It's enough to keep some of these historical items for remembrance. If the whole country is filled with these old things, and people are immersed in fantasies of the past, it's not a good thing for too many people to make a living from these historical relics. The increasing value of these cultural relics is naturally good for the owners, but it doesn't increase national wealth. On the contrary, it consumes wealth. Therefore, for the entire country, it would be better if there were fewer of these things.

The same is true of the recent British invasion. The revolutionary army's victory over the British puts the invasion to rest. Negotiating compensation for captured British civilians with the British is another matter, a final resolution to the invasion, and the beginning of a new relationship with Britain. Whether this new relationship remains hostile or something else depends on how the situation develops. Any nostalgia or dwelling on the past is idealism; focusing on the present and looking forward is the correct approach.

Li Cheng finally woke up from his coma, the day after the battle. His eyes were dull and unfocused, tears streaming unconsciously from the corners of his eyes. Seeing all white around him, he suddenly smiled and muttered to himself, "So there really is a heaven after death."

Just then, the nurse came in and saw Li Cheng mumbling something with a smile on his face. She immediately said happily, "Captain Li, you are finally awake."

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When Li Cheng heard this, his eyes widened. He immediately felt pain in his body and a dull ache in his heart. He pursed his lips tightly, then began to tremble violently. He clenched his teeth, but tears continued to flow.

Li Cheng suddenly struggled to get up, but he was completely exhausted and couldn't move much. However, blood immediately gushed out from the wound on his body, and the gauze immediately seeped out a red tinge. Li Cheng's injuries were already serious, and in order to remove the bullet from his body, two large incisions had to be made.

But Li Cheng seemed to feel no pain and continued to struggle. Perhaps he felt that he could not struggle any more. He screamed, "Let me die, why are you saving me? I am a sinner, why are you saving me?"

The nurse listened to Li Cheng's desperate cries. She couldn't understand why the brave and fearless Captain Li was so desperate to die, and his cries were so heartfelt. She didn't know what Li Cheng was going through, so she could only fulfill her nurse's responsibility and say, "Captain Li, don't move. If you move, you'll be in danger again."

Hearing this, Li Cheng became even more agitated, and continued to say: "Danger is good, death is even better, don't save me, just let me die..."

Because the wound ruptured again, Li Cheng soon passed out again. When he woke up again, he had a high fever. In his semi-conscious state, Li Cheng would always shout: "Comrades, kill!" "Comrades, charge!"

—Then he would cry out again: "Comrades, I have harmed you!" "It is all my fault! I deserve to die, I deserve to die!"

The hospital had no other options but to tie up his hands, feet and entire body, making him virtually unable to move. Every once in a while they would beat his entire body to circulate his blood circulation, but Li Cheng's mind was still not very clear, and he often talked nonsense in his dreams.

Two days later, the Dalai Lama and officials of the Kashag government finally arrived in Qushui. They were accompanied by a large number of Tibetan compatriots, who had already heard the news that the revolutionary army had defeated the invading British army and achieved final victory. Naturally, they were jubilant.

The revolutionary army immediately organized a surrender ceremony. The surrender ceremony looked very simple. The British army lined up in front of the military camp. Except for one hundred people who were still carrying rifles, all other weapons had been set up and placed aside. The revolutionary army stood opposite the British army.

Younghusband carefully observed the revolutionary army's formation from a distance. Even though the British had surrendered all their ammunition, the revolutionary army still did not relax. The heavy machine guns on both sides of the formation were loaded and pointed at the British. If they dared to move, they would face a massacre.

At the beginning of the ceremony, Yan Bing delivered a speech. A soldier next to him translated Yan Bing's words into Tibetan and shouted them back. In his speech, Yan Bing said that the Tibetan people are part of the Chinese nation and the Tibetan people are part of the Chinese people. He reiterated the great sacrifices made by the Tibetan people in this anti-aggression war and affirmed the great contributions of the Tibetan people.

The Tibetans who had come to watch the surrender ceremony were immediately delighted when they heard Yan Bing's praise. Finally, Yan Bing said, "Facts have proven that only when our compatriots of all ethnic groups unite can we resist aggression. When people of all ethnic groups help each other, there is nothing we cannot accomplish. Only with unity and mutual assistance can we live a peaceful and prosperous life..."

After Yan Bing finished his speech, to the sound of military music, Rong Hongpeng slowly walked to the middle of the formation with their military flags and command swords.

“Stop and turn right.”

After taking his place, Rong Hepeng took two steps, holding the military flag and command sword, bowed, and held them out to Li Yong. Li Yong picked up the military flag and shook it, and a banner unfolded. Seeing that there was no problem, he tossed it to the guard nearby. Then he picked up the command sword and pulled out a piece, revealing a long, gleaming silver sword.

"Hat off."

At the command, all the British soldiers took off their hats. "Bow."

All the British troops immediately bowed deeply to the revolutionary army.

"Your army fights tenaciously and has strong combat effectiveness. He is very willing to surrender to your troops."

Seeing the British finally lower their proud heads, everyone watching the surrender ceremony, regardless of gender, age, or nationality, smiled with relief.

"On behalf of the Forward Party and the Revolutionary Army, I accept your surrender." "Okay."

After hearing the word "OK", the British soldiers straightened up. Then those who still had guns immediately stepped out of the line and piled their guns in the place where the guns were originally piled.

The British soldiers, who might have previously considered surrendering nothing, now felt a deep sense of shame. This sense of shame was exacerbated by the fact that they were surrendering to the yellow race, a race they had always looked down upon. Many British soldiers clenched their fists, their arms trembling, their eyes reddened with tears of humiliation and pain. However, discipline bound them, and crying here would have been even more humiliating, so they only sobbed softly.

As soldiers themselves, while some heartless comrades in the revolutionary army wanted to laugh at the British army's performance, many comrades could naturally feel the humiliation of the British army. Many soldiers saw the British army's behavior and silently swore in their hearts that they would never surrender even if they died. Surrendering in front of so many people was too humiliating.

Of course, there were also some passionate young men who fled to Sichuan to join the army. They were filled with passion at this time. This was what a great Celestial Empire should be like. Even when facing white people, they could still win the battle and force them to surrender. A victory over the British army would be a world-shaking event no matter where the news spread. But this was accomplished by the revolutionary army, and the revolutionary army officially entered the stage of history.

At this moment, Yan Bing thought of another question: the enemy could surrender to the revolutionary army, but could the revolutionary army surrender to the enemy? Yan Bing felt that it was unnecessary. Because the revolutionary army would never fight without reason, all comrades should understand the reasons for fighting. There would be no deception, and only then would comrades take up arms and fight.

Even when outnumbered, out of ammunition and food, fighting to the last man, the comrades of the revolutionary army remained steadfast, believing they were in the right, and determined to annihilate the enemy. The soldiers remained convinced they were carrying out a just cause, confident that victory would ultimately be achieved. Therefore, within the revolutionary army, the question of whether or not to surrender, or even whether or not to surrender, should not be a matter of concern; the only question should be how to best accomplish the mission.

The lamas and officials of the Communist Party saw the tens of thousands of revolutionary army comrades standing in neat, disciplined formations, and the Tibetan soldiers who had been recruited by the revolutionary army, their heads held high and their chests puffed out. They dared not even breathe, their expressions changing constantly, and it was unclear what they were thinking. Of course, they understood the purpose of the Forward Party's request for them to participate in the surrender ceremony, but they had to accept this tactic of intimidation.

After dealing with the British, the troops retraced their route. Along the way, they witnessed countless British atrocities. Burned villages and temples filled the revolutionaries with rage, and they longed to turn back and slaughter the British, skinning them alive. The soldiers gained a deeper understanding of the British's brutality and the righteousness of resisting aggression.

In the next few days, Li Yong and his team immediately held a summary meeting. In fact, most of the discussion at this summary meeting was about the problem of the Vanguard Battalion. The casualties of a battalion exceeded 85%, which was really hard for many comrades to accept. There was nothing wrong with the battle plan of the General Staff, and it was understandable that the British army was unwilling to attack the revolutionary army's position. If they wanted to find the responsibility for such a huge loss, it would naturally be Li Cheng's command problem. Therefore, the comrades could only criticize Li Cheng and his team for leaving the trenches and rushing out to engage in bayonet fighting with the British army.

As his comrades began to blame the Vanguard Battalion, Li Yong spoke directly: "The purpose of the summary meeting is to punish those who have acted recklessly and cure the disease and save people, not to second-guess who is responsible. If the comrades knew about the British bayonet skills, then Li Cheng and his men might naturally have other options. If the Vanguard Battalion did not execute our plan or complete the assigned tasks, we can say they are responsible. We also agree that Li Cheng and his men should confront the British head-on. Now they have stopped the British and annihilated almost two battalions of British soldiers. It is a victory in any case. How can it be said that it was Comrade Li Cheng's fault?"

After Li Yong's words, the summary meeting finally began to proceed normally. However, the losses in this battle were truly devastating. Such a large number of casualties were incurred in bayonet fighting, and they were later driven off their positions by the British with bayonets. This was a profound lesson for the revolutionary army, which had been sitting on the ground and observing the sky. Their tactics, which had always been invincible, had suffered such heavy losses against a powerful enemy. The revolutionary army could no longer defeat the majority with a minority. This truly brought deep frustration to the revolutionary army, which had always been proud.

Li Cheng was, at least, a combat hero, and no one questioned his command responsibility. With the approval of the Military Commission, the army began to recognize the merits of the Vanguard Battalion for its significant contributions in this "victory." Meanwhile, Yan Bing heard that the severely wounded Vanguard Battalion Commander, Li Cheng, had attempted suicide and rushed to the hospital to visit him.

Several days passed before Li Cheng's injuries were finally under control, his fever subsided, and his consciousness gradually cleared. But the problem arose again. Li Cheng stopped making noises and became silent. Even when he heard the news of the British surrender, he showed no reaction. He just stared blankly at the wall, sometimes shedding tears silently, looking half-dead.

Yan Bing appeared at the ward's doorway, seeing Li Cheng like this. As a divisional political commissar, he now had to not only direct his comrades in construction but also engage in a struggle with the Communist Party's higher-ups. His expression was filled with unspeakable fatigue. Then again, who among the comrades entering Tibet wasn't busy? Soldiers were involved in road construction, land reclamation, and combating Tibetan bandit forces—they were all multitasker tasks. The comrades at the hospital, after treating the revolutionary army, had to perform surgeries on the British troops, care for the wounded, and now had to spare staff to treat the Tibetans. It was as if they were completely busy.

Looking at the dark circles under Yan Bing's eyes, the accompanying doctor whispered to Yan Bing about Li Cheng's condition and couldn't help but say, "Political Commissar Yan, you should also make sure to rest."

Yan Bing forced a smile, patted the doctor, who also had dark circles under his eyes, on the shoulder and said, "Doctors and nurses should also pay attention to rest and make sure the shifts are arranged properly. We can't let the doctors who treat patients get sick from exhaustion. Doctors and nurses have worked so hard."

Hearing such approachable concern, the doctor's heart warmed. He opened his mouth but said nothing.

Yan Bing walked directly into Li Cheng's ward, pulled a chair and sat down beside Li Cheng's bed.

Li Cheng felt someone approaching him and immediately turned his head slowly. Yan Bing saw a pale face with high cheekbones and dull eyes. In a short time, the person had become extremely thin. Li Cheng saw Yan Bing, his throat rolled, and he said weakly: "Is the political commissar here to take me to the military court?"

Yan Bing smiled and said, "Why go to a military court? You didn't desert the battlefield. You performed a great service in this battle."

"Achieve great merit? Political Commissar, all the comrades have sacrificed their lives, so how can there be any great merit? I have harmed the comrades, I feel so sorry for them..."

As he spoke, perhaps he thought of the comrades he had sent to the battlefield to sacrifice, and tears immediately flowed down his cheeks.

"Captain Li, this isn't your fault. We say knowing yourself and your enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles. This time, we faced the British, but we knew ourselves but not the enemy, resulting in one victory and one defeat. Our victory is the result of your heroic fighting. So, our mistake this time wasn't your command error, but our underestimation of the British. We made the mistake of comparing the British's combat prowess to that of the Qing. They're simply not comparable."

Despite Yan Bing's consolation, and perhaps what Yan Bing said was true, Li Cheng still looked half-dead. He continued to mutter softly, "I led everyone to the battlefield, so I have the responsibility. I harmed everyone, so I am wrong!"

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Seeing that Li Cheng was still in the same state, Yan Bing knew that these words would not work, so he said directly: "Li Cheng, as the commander of this battle, you survived, so you should get well immediately. The most urgent task now is to quickly summarize the experience and lessons to prevent such things from happening again. You have the responsibility and obligation to tell us their bloody experience. So don't think about dying anymore. Comrade Li Cheng, your battalion paid a heavy price in this battle against the British army. Your vanguard battalion is a role model for our army to learn from, and you are the backbone of our revolutionary army. So you need to get well immediately. The battle for the troops entering Tibet has just begun, and there are still so many places in the country waiting for us to liberate. We are also waiting for your report."

"Political... Political Commissar, our battalion has been wiped out. I..."

"We've already recommended you for merit and honorary titles to the Military Commission. Look at how you're doing now. Are you worthy of your comrades' spirits in heaven? You comrades all volunteered to come to XZ to participate in this sacred anti-aggression war. All comrades should be prepared to die in battle. The Chairman telegraphed before we set out: to die in XZ and be buried in XZ. They died simply for national liberation, opposing imperialist aggression. It was a glorious, great death. But Comrade Li Cheng, you can't fall! We must carry on these comrades' legacy and continue fighting. If the troops are depleted, we'll rebuild them. We'll prioritize helping you complete the personnel redeployment. There are still many comrades waiting for your return."

"How many comrades are still alive?"

Yan Bing didn't answer directly, but said: "Many people live in this hospital."

After hearing the news, Li Cheng didn't know whether he was happy or sad. He blinked hard a few times, then opened his mouth and burst into tears again.

Yan Bing sighed and stood up. Just as he was about to leave, he heard Li Cheng crying, "Political Commissar, I was wrong!"

If Zhang Yinghao saw this, he might mistake it for a scene from a movie, which he would find rather hypocritical. But Yan Bing, who was in the middle of the situation, could clearly hear the pain in Li Cheng's voice, a heartache more painful than death.

"Everyone makes mistakes. The key is to not make the same mistake twice and to heal your injuries well." Yan Bing felt his nose getting sore. He said this and walked out of the ward while rubbing his eyes.

On August 8, 1904, the revolutionary army entered Yadong, an important town in southern Tibet, and handed over all the worthless seriously wounded soldiers to the British.

At this point, the revolutionary army's march into Tibet successfully completed its sacred mission of raising the red flag in the Himalayas. The revolutionary army suddenly appeared in Yadong and slaughtered all British soldiers who dared to resist along the way. Those who surrendered were sent directly to Tibet for forced labor. It was only then that Lord Curzon, the Governor-General of British India, learned that the British army's march into Tibet had been completely annihilated.

When this news reached Europe, it immediately caused an uproar, shaking the entire continent. European countries mocked the British for being defeated in such a remote place. However, the revolutionary army sent a message to Lord Curzon, stating the revolutionary army's conditions and asking him to send people to Sichuan to negotiate.

As for whether the border issue can be resolved now, Zhang Yinghao is not in a hurry at all.

Zhang Yinghao believed that as long as he didn't die suddenly, he would suffer a loss.

The revolutionary army had no intention of leaving after entering XZ, but since they were new here, they couldn't rush anything, as this would only cause unnecessary trouble. After resolving the issue of the British invasion, the revolutionary army immediately calmed down like a well-behaved child, as if nothing was happening. However, that didn't mean they were completely indifferent. With so many Indian prisoners now, these people couldn't just eat for free. They were building bridges and roads, digging through mountains and rocks, and wherever there was danger, they would be there.

The most important task now was to complete the Sichuan-Tibet Highway. So Li Yong and his team were recruiting workers from all over, starting with Lhasa. The revolutionary army currently had no roots in Tibet. Only through hard work could the people of Tibet see what kind of people the revolutionary army was, and encourage more people to join the labor force.