The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

Hat, blanket, backpack, water bottle, everything is available. This is also the most important thing for modern Chinese soldiers.

When they were wealthy, the later Eighth Route Army and the Kuomintang Army could not even come close to them.

Yuan Datou wrote in his "Song of Encouraging Soldiers": The imperial court borrowed national debt at a high price,

The sound came to support the army. -The annual food and clothing is 100 taels, and the sixth-rank official is paid the same.

This agricultural country has very underdeveloped productivity and is extremely short of material resources.

The working peasants may not earn more than one or two taels of silver every month after a busy year.

The Beiyang New Army could easily gain the income of middle-class landlords and petty bourgeoisie in the late Qing Dynasty.

How could it not attract people to such a high level?

The entire Qing Dynasty's income was used to support a few military towns. You can imagine how poor their treatment was.

And we know that when the Beiyang New Army recruited soldiers, there were many people.

For people of this generation, this money is actually the money of risking their lives.

Therefore, the Beiyang New Army was a favorite among the people and was long favored by the late Qing government.

For the poor people who have been oppressed by the government for a long time, signing up for the Beiyang New Army is a good choice.

At least the military pay is enough to solve the problem of food and clothing. The cavalry battalion commander said that he had never treated anyone unfairly.

It is not unreasonable to ask the new army soldiers to think about their families.

You've taken everything. Do you still want to survive at this point?

After hearing the words of the battalion commander, and with the battalion commander himself taking the lead in dying, the new army soldiers

You look at me, I look at you, and the hands that had been put down are raised again.

The knife, his face gradually revealed a desperate expression. Yes, I was able to be

The soldiers were all guaranteed by someone, and their family situations were thoroughly investigated.

If you surrender, not only will the guarantor be held responsible, but your family will also have a hard time.

It seems that I have no choice but to fight. The worst that can happen is death. The head will be as big as a bowl after it falls off.

scar.

It goes without saying how powerful the Beiyang New Army was. During the Northern Expedition, the army was repeatedly defeated by the Beiyang New Army.

The foreign army was defeated, and Chiang Kai-shek's party army was even more unable to defeat the Beiyang Army.

The army that dares to fight with blood. In this cruel era, the dead are

Then it is a common thing that the high salary of the Beiyang Army is indeed worth buying them.

This life.

When the cavalry battalion commander encouraged the new cavalry to charge and die, he did not

I noticed that two soldiers in the team had quietly taken out their lances and

The bullets were loaded. These two soldiers were either members of the Forward Party who had infiltrated or were members of the Beiyang Army.

Comrade Zhang Yinghao knew that the Beiyang Army was powerful, so he was naturally the focus of the infiltration of the Forward Party.

However, most of the Beiyang Army were former Qing Dynasty officials and were loyal to the Qing Dynasty.

The degree of control is high. Moreover, Yuan Datou has too much control over the Beiyang New Army, and he completely regards it as

Private army to train. In addition to the high salary of Beiyang and the absolute support of Yuan Datou

Loyal generals made it more difficult for the Forward Party to infiltrate the Beiyang government, and the spread of revolutionary ideas

not easy.

Chapter 344:

For their own safety, the comrades of the Forward Party naturally could not easily instigate the old Beiyang soldiers to rebel, as that would put their comrades in danger. However, due to the Sichuan Revolution, the Beiyang government had massively expanded its army, and suppressing the uprising would result in casualties, which gave the Forward Party an excellent opportunity to infiltrate the Beiyang army. Now that the comrades of the Forward Party have taken root in Hebei, it is easy to send people to infiltrate the Beiyang army. However, since the Forward Party entered the Beiyang relatively late, the comrades are still at the bottom. During this battle in Shaanxi, there will definitely be many comrades who have lurked in the Beiyang and will be accidentally injured by the PLA soldiers or even sacrificed directly, becoming unknown heroes that no one will ever know about. But there is no other way, and we can only hope that these comrades who have lurked in the Beiyang will escape in time and wish themselves good luck.

The standoff continued, as did the attempts to persuade them to surrender. The New Army soldiers slowly turned their horses and re-formed a simple charging formation. All the New Army cavalrymen were breathing heavily, gathering strength, and remained silent. The scene was extremely solemn. Even the neighing horses and groaning wounded soldiers sensed the solemn atmosphere and lowered their voices considerably.

The PLA soldiers who had entered the trenches were also not idle. They immediately changed magazines and loaded bullets. Seeing the new army cavalry preparing to charge again, the soldiers also raised their guns, ready to fire the deadly bullets from their chambers as soon as the order was given. The cavalry commander hid in the ranks and encouraged the Beiyang cavalry to commit suicide, which also made the sharpshooters quite helpless. Hearing the cavalry commander's encouragement, the soldiers could only watch helplessly as the Beiyang cavalry prepared to attack and commit suicide again.

The cavalry battalion commander shouted again: "Brothers, at worst we will die, let's fight these red bandits..."

At this time, the morale of the Beiyang Army had been aroused to the extreme. As long as the cavalry battalion commander gave an order, these remaining Beiyang cavalry would charge forward even if there were mountains of swords and seas of fire, or even if there were gunfire and bullets flying in front of them. Many Beiyang cavalry were also extremely nervous at this time. Even in such cold weather, their foreheads and palms were still sweating, and they were nervously listening to the battalion commander's order to attack.

"Brothers, at worst, I'll be a brave man again in eighteen years. Follow me~uh~" "Bang~bang!"

At this moment, two gunshots rang out from the cavalry team, and the cavalry battalion commander could no longer shout the word "charge". He fell directly to the ground and was silent. All the Beiyang cavalry who saw this scene were dumbfounded and fell into a daze for an instant. Even many PLA comrades who were preparing to shoot were a little stunned at this time.

"Brothers, charging means death, surrender."

"Yes, we surrendered. The Qing Dynasty was unjust, so we rebelled today."

After the two lurking comrades exchanged a few words in unison, they immediately dropped their carbines, rode forward, and when they reached the front of the troops, they shouted, "Comrades of the People's Liberation Army, don't shoot! We surrender."

After shouting, he immediately dismounted, raised his hands, turned around and said: "The battalion commander is dead, and the military supervisor was killed long ago. Brothers, surrender, you are all Chinese. Those who are killed in the fight are all Chinese. When you die, everything is gone. Think about your relatives at home. Is it worth it to charge forward and die like this?"

War was brutal and bloody. To boost morale and prevent desertion, war weariness, or aversion, semi-feudal armies like the Beiyang Army established Manchu military supervisors to control the military and prevent rebellion or mutiny. These Manchu military supervisors often held greater power than military commanders of the same rank. Even if the commander died, no one dared to surrender if the supervisors lived.

After hearing this, the Beiyang cavalrymen dropped their weapons one after another. The most frightening thing at this time was "thinking". Death was indeed not scary, but committing suicide was due to impulse. When their rationality returned, everyone felt a sense of fear and cold sweat broke out. Naturally, no one wanted to charge forward and die at this time. Everyone dismounted, raised their hands and walked out.

The PLA was very experienced in accepting prisoners. Having liberated so many landlord armed forces, they naturally knew that the first step was to separate the prisoners from their weapons. Seeing the Beiyang cavalrymen coming out, a group of soldiers immediately ran out and took these cavalrymen aside.

Liu Dagui glanced at the messy ground and shouted again: "Clean up the battlefield." Hearing this order, the comrades immediately rushed out of the trenches, picking up weapons, leading horses, and touching corpses, quickly cleaning the battlefield. At this time, another company of cavalry and some baggage carts appeared from behind. At this time, some frightened war horses had already run away, and these cavalry comrades were there to catch those war horses that ran away. For the liberated areas, these war horses are still a very important resource. The baggage carts are naturally used to transport the corpses of the military horses, and this meat naturally cannot be wasted.

Wang Yingkai, after listening to the rearguard's report, sighed. An entire squad of over a hundred men had been wiped out so easily. He could only hope the cavalry would bring him good news. But no good news arrived. Instead, he heard another burst of rapid gunfire in the distance.

Wang Yingkai knew immediately that this wasn't the cavalry firing; it was undoubtedly an ambush. He slapped his thigh and shouted, "Quick, quick, Wang Huaiqing, take the Second Cavalry Battalion and go to provide support. Wang Zhanyuan, your First Battalion also go immediately to provide support for the cavalry and return. Your two units must not be too far apart to avoid another ambush by the Red Bandits. Quick, quick, quick!"

Wang Yingkai used the word "fast" several times in a row, which showed how anxious he was.

"Yes."

Wang Huaiqing and Wang Zhanyuan immediately stood up, answered "yes," and immediately turned and left the camp. They called their men and horses and immediately rushed towards the rear guard. After Wang Huaiqing learned the whereabouts of the first battalion of cavalry, he led the cavalry again towards the PLA ambush site.

When Wang Huaiqing arrived at the location where the PLA had ambushed the cavalry, he saw only corpses lying on the ground. Not only were there no living people, but even the dead horses had been taken away by the bandits. However, Wang Huaiqing did not dare to pursue the enemy with only a battalion of cavalry. If they were ambushed, these corpses would be their fate.

After a while, Wang Zhanyuan also arrived at the battlefield with his troops. Seeing the battlefield stained red with blood, he surveyed the surrounding area and roughly knew what had happened. He immediately said to Wang Huaiqing: "Mao Xuan, the Red Bandits are not ordinary."

"Yes, we haven't even seen many of the Red Bandits yet, but we've already suffered thousands of casualties. These are our elite Beiyang troops. We don't know how long it will take to replenish them."

"Report, we've discovered the Red Bandits' retreat route." Wang Zhanyuan immediately asked Wang Huaiqing, "Should we pursue them?"

Wang Huaiqing shook his head and said, "We don't know what's waiting over there. Perhaps the Red Bandits are waiting for us to catch up and ambush us. Let's not chase them. Let's go back and ask the Commander for a decision."

Wang Huaiqing and Wang Zhanyuan immediately handed the bodies over to the logistics department, while they led their troops back to the central army to report. Feudal armies generally did not allow soldiers to come into contact with too many corpses, as the damage to morale would be unimaginable. Soldiers did not fight for themselves, but for the ruling class. Excessive contact with the dead could easily lead to paranoia, so specialized personnel were usually assigned to take care of the bodies of the fallen. Furthermore, the pensions for soldiers killed in battle in the Beiyang New Army were very high, so they also had to be registered and rostered by the logistics department for compensation.

"What? A whole cavalry battalion was wiped out?"

After Wang Yingkai heard the news reported by Wang Huaiqing and his men, he immediately asked in disbelief: "Were they all killed in the battle?"

"Some of them were probably captured. There were only over 300 bodies of soldiers killed in the battle."

After hearing this, Wang Yingkai nodded slightly. He knew at this time that it was impossible to go back and look for those bandits who had attacked him. Those attackers had already fled to somewhere unknown.

Wang Yingkai gritted his teeth and said, "All troops, strengthen your guard and continue advancing." Unfortunately, they hadn't gone far when a burst of gunfire and explosions, even more intense than before, came from behind. The troops immediately stopped and looked back. Wang Yingkai was already a little numb. He looked around at the vast sky and the vast land, the vast expanse seemed endless, and the Beiyang New Army seemed like a drop in the ocean. Faced with such a vast land and the gangster tactics of the Red Bandits, Wang Yingkai suddenly felt powerless. Could occupying Xi'an really be considered a victory? At this point, his heart was already full of doubts.

"Shorten the distance between the troops. Leave one battalion in the rearguard. I want to see if the Red Bandits have the teeth to devour our entire battalion at once. Wang Huaiqing, order your cavalry to expand the search area and ensure the safety of the troops' march..."

"Yes."

Wang Yingkai closed his eyes and raised his head for a moment, then gave the order directly: "Keep going, we'll be safe once we enter Huazhou."

At this time, messengers from both the front and rear came to report to Wang Yingkai: "Report to Commander Wang, the rear guard was ambushed by the Red Bandits, and another unit was wiped out."

"Reporting to Commander Wang, the vanguard troops have once again encountered an attack by the Red Bandits."

Wang Yingkai didn't reply. He was now focused on getting into Huazhou first. Sure enough, with a battalion of troops behind them and the cavalry expanding their search range, although the rear guard still heard occasional gunfire, even when the Red Bandits attacked, the entire battalion was no longer wiped out. However, the cavalry was in a terrible situation. They didn't dare to leave the army too far away, otherwise the cavalry would simply disappear inexplicably. The continuous sound of gunfire from behind, the marching speed of the Beiyang New Army was significantly accelerated, as if some monster was chasing them from behind. From officers to soldiers, almost every Beiyang New Army officer and soldier felt fear in their hearts and wanted to stay away from the rear. But they didn't know that with every step they took into Shaanxi, their danger increased.

By evening, the troops finally arrived in Huazhou. All the officers and soldiers breathed a sigh of relief, believing they were safe once they entered. Humans are such ridiculous creatures. No one told them Huazhou was safe, but because there were houses there, they assumed it was safe.

Just as the main force of the Beiyang New Army entered Huazhou, the officers and soldiers of the Second Battalion led by Zhu Panzao did not attack the Red Bandits' defenses anymore. Instead, they retreated with their troops and set up camp. With the increasing range of artillery, setting up camp is no simple matter. It's not like the ancient times where you could just build a stockade-like camp and surround it with wooden fences. To prevent enemy bombardment, the troops had to disperse. However, to prevent enemy sneak attacks or a fierce attack from one direction, the troops had to set up camp in a way that resembled a Bagua diagram, with defenses on all sides or in a location close to mountains or water. A small number of soldiers were stationed on the periphery to guard the area, while the main force was stationed outside the range of the artillery to respond to any sudden changes in the situation.

As night fell, darkness enveloped the earth, and Huazhou gradually fell into silence. Inside the PLA temporary headquarters in the Mountain God Temple outside Huayin City, officers from various places gathered to discuss the current situation.

"Commander, the Beiyang Army has breached four defense lines in Chishui. Our troops who lured the enemy deep into our territory have suffered heavy losses. Division Commander Zhao Liang is now leading his troops in a slow retreat towards Weinan. The comrades' main casualties were due to their initial lack of understanding of the Beiyang New Army's combat capabilities, resulting in a significant number of casualties."

"There are quite a lot of casualties." Zhang Feng frowned.

The Beiyang New Army's attack was directed towards a vast plain, leaving little room for defense. Fighting in such a region was far from advantageous for the defending side. Without the natural barrier of Tongguan, and with the Shaanxi Army's relative lack of heavy equipment like artillery, they were unable to stop the Beiyang New Army in a frontal engagement. In terms of direct offensive capabilities, the Beiyang Army was still very powerful, and possessed far greater experience than the People's Liberation Army.

The PLA hadn't been in Shaanxi long, but since Shaanxi expanded its military, over half of the troops were from Shaanxi. Furthermore, Shaanxi hadn't recovered at all. If the Beiyang New Army wreaked havoc in Shaanxi, and the Qing army from Gansu entered, the situation there would be unmanageable, and the losses would be devastating.

"Have the people on the front lines and along the route been evacuated?"

"Commander, we've already sent someone to notify them, and they've already been evacuated."

"Then send a telegram immediately to inform Comrade Zhao Liang that if necessary, Weinan can also be surrendered to the Beiyang New Army."

Zhang Yinghao was the most ruthless in establishing the army's telegraph system. He understood the importance of timely information transmission, so garrison troops were required to have radio stations at least at regimental headquarters. For combat units, radio stations were required at least at battalion headquarters, and units assigned to special missions could have them at squad levels. As for the Beiyang New Army, only Wang Yingkai's unit had a single radio station. Even the Japanese army during the Russo-Japanese War lacked a radio system and still relied on traditional cavalry to transmit messages.

However, at this time, many comrades in the command center were already very unhappy with the strategy of continuing to penetrate deep into the enemy's territory. When the comrades present heard that they had to give up Weinan, their faces suddenly turned sour. The work of evacuating the masses was not so easy to do. Many people simply did not understand. Moreover, they felt that there was no need to continue to lure the enemy deep into their territory. They had fought against the Qing army before, and even felt that they could defeat the Beiyang New Army even in a head-on attack. These comrades had not actually experienced real war, and now they knew that the Sichuan army was advancing into Yunnan and Guizhou. The People's Liberation Army was killing people everywhere there, and even the British and French forces had captured thousands of people. There was no reason for their Shaanxi army to not fight the Qing army. Many officers had already lost their composure at this time.

Zhang Feng wasn't unaware of the sentiment within the troops, but he'd already addressed the need for education. He knew that comrades wouldn't understand the cruelty of war until they'd suffered losses. A general's success is built on the sacrifices of countless soldiers, and generals' experience in combat was gained through killing not only the enemy but also their own comrades, sometimes even offering heads to the enemy.

"Commander, I don't think there's any need to give up Weinan. If the Beiyang New Army sabotages the city, our losses will be huge."

"Yes, Commander, I think we can defeat the Beiyang New Army even if we just attack head-on."

In fact, should we give up Weinan? Zhang Feng was a little troubled at this time. Hearing these comrades' opposition to continuing to lure the enemy deep into our territory, Zhang Feng became even more embarrassed. At the same time, he also made up his mind to reorganize the troops. It is understandable that the army is eager to make meritorious deeds, but being eager for war is not a good thing.

Political Commissar Cai Zhonghe was obviously aware of the comrades' mood, and he heard him say: "Comrades, it's not that we can't defeat the Beiyang New Army. We believe we will win. But Chairman Zhang Yinghao said: As long as a shooting situation is formed, no matter how inferior the enemy's weapons are, we will inevitably suffer losses. Moreover, the Beiyang New Army's equipment is much better than ours. If we go to war with the Beiyang New Army, we certainly believe that the comrades are brave and will be able to win in the end. But now the initiative is in our hands, so there is no need for us to go to war with the Beiyang New Army and let more comrades sacrifice for it. We will first weaken the strength of the Beiyang New Army, make a strong move, then weaken it, and finally exhaust it. When the Beiyang New Army themselves believe that they cannot win, that is the time for us to defeat them."

The comrades listened and could only nod silently, saying nothing more. At this moment, the confidential officer came in and said: "Report, the comrades monitoring Tongguan sent a message that a batch of logistical supplies for the Beiyang New Army has been transported to Tongguan."

Hearing this, Zhang Feng suddenly recalled a line from Zhang Yinghao's Thoughts: "Modern armies have a Achilles' heel: logistics." Unlike the battles they waged in Shandong and Zhili, where they could count on the support of local landlords and gentry, the Beiyang New Army's attack on Shaanxi required hundreds, even thousands, of mule-drawn carts to transport supplies. In that era, the logistical pressure of tens of thousands of troops was immense, and the daily consumption of supplies was significant. Even if they consumed a few of their supplies, the Beiyang New Army would be trapped and dead.

Chief of Staff Zhao Jinshan also thought of this problem and said directly: "Let's see if this batch of supplies can be transported out tomorrow. If it is, we will make some use of it and consume it on the way tomorrow. I personally think that the time is not yet ripe for a decisive battle with the Beiyang New Army. It is not the right time to postpone the decisive battle."

Zhang Feng listened, nodded, and said, "But we must also destroy the Beiyang Army as soon as possible. We don't have that much time to waste here with the Beiyang New Army. We might as well spend that time repairing more roads. But before the decisive battle with the Beiyang, we must recapture Tongguan. If we occupy Tongguan, the Beiyang Second Town will be unable to escape."

At this time, Cai Zhonghe said: "Recapture Tongguan? I have an idea that can kill two birds with one stone. Let's discuss it and see if it works."

After saying that, Cai Zhonghe immediately told everyone his plan, and everyone applauded after hearing it.

Chapter 345:

After listening to Cai Zhonghe's idea, Zhang Feng also thought it was feasible and gave the order directly: "Tomorrow we will use cannons to kill mosquitoes and butcher knives to kill chickens. Four regiments will advance to seize this batch of Beiyang New Army's logistics supplies. Now let's plan what to do after the supplies are seized."

Everyone worked together to finalize the military's plan. After the meeting, the comrades returned to their units to make preparations. While Zhang Feng and his men were making their final arrangements, Wang Yingkai remained completely unaware. After a day of trepidation, the Beiyang Army finally managed a peaceful night's sleep.

The next morning, Wang Yingkai woke up early and had the Beiyang New Army eat breakfast. He then left two battalions of soldiers to guard Huazhou before continuing on his way. The troops marched directly to the front line where Zhu Panzao was fighting the People's Liberation Army. By then, Zhu Panzao had already led the Beiyang New Army to capture two more blocking positions. Knowing that the main force would arrive today, Zhu Panzao's troops were naturally full of momentum. Faced with such a powerful Qing army, the People's Liberation Army could only continue to "retreat" and resist step by step.

Wang Yingkai led his troops to the front line, and Zhu Panzao immediately came out to greet him. "Ziqin, how is the fighting capacity of the Red Bandits at the front?"

"Report to General Wang, Shaanxi is not rich, and there are not many red bandits.

Without enough weapons, we can't afford to support many troops. They are expanding their troops so quickly, they must be over-equipping themselves, so weapons are extremely scarce. The Red Bandits can stop us, or rely on

There is no Tongguan in Weinan."

Although Zhu Panzao didn't directly mention the PLA's combat effectiveness, everyone could still hear that Zhu Panzao looked down on the Red Bandits. At this time, Zhu Panzao had broken through four lines of defense yesterday and two more this morning, so he was naturally full of confidence.

"So what do you think of the Red Bandits who attacked us on the road?" "It was just a minor case of scabies."

Hearing this comment, Wang Yingkai was stunned and asked directly: "What do you mean?" Hearing Wang Yingkai's question, Zhu Panzao raised five fingers and said: "Five days, at most five days, we can control the entire Xi'an. Controlling Xi'an is equivalent to controlling Shaanxi. And we can capture Xi'an in three days at most. Once we capture Xi'an, the Red Bandits will become a rabbit's tail, and they will not be able to grow any further."

Zhu Panzao was only twenty-nine years old, but he was already a general. It would be a mistake to underestimate him because of his youth. Although only twenty-nine, he possessed extensive combat experience. He was among the first group to train at Xiaozhan, Yuan Shikai's troops. It could be argued that the first group to follow Yuan Shikai were veterans of the First Sino-Japanese War. For these veteran Beiyang troops, who considered themselves veterans of the armies of the great powers, they naturally looked down upon the inland Red Bandits.

However, due to the Red Bandits' rebellion in Sichuan, the situation was still quite serious. The Qing Dynasty was also trying to expand its army. The army was expanding too quickly, so positions like battalion commanders and even battalion commanders became commonplace. Battalion commanders in their twenties who had never fought in a war were being appointed one after another. It is estimated that a quarter of these battalion commanders had never fought in a war, not even bandit suppression.

However, the old Beiyang troops in their Second Regiment were different. Most of them were veterans who had fought in battle. For the elite Beiyang New Army, the rank of "Biao Tong" was not a lowly position. Zhu Panzao had fought in many battles, starting from the lowest position and rising to the rank of "Biao Tong". With just a brief contact, he could roughly judge the opponent's strength.

"How strong are the Red Bandits on the other side?"

Hearing this, even Zhu Panzao frowned and said, "The Red Bandits' combat effectiveness is not bad."

Then Zhu Panzao explained, "Commander-in-Chief, those Red Bandits across the way have clearly never fought a major battle, but they are quite courageous. They are incredibly brave, and each one is ready to die. However, for us, the pressure isn't too great. Our Beiyang New Army is just as courageous as they are. I've never been afraid of these Red Bandits before."

"Of course." Wang Yingkai nodded, as if he was convinced by Zhu Panzao. After breaking through Tongguan, Wang Yingkai passed through Huayin and Huazhou successively, and is now approaching Weinan. But apart from the surprise attack by the Red Bandits, he really has not fought against the Red Bandits face to face. Now he has arrived at the front line, where the Red Bandits have set up a defense line. Naturally, Wang Yingkai wanted to immediately let the commander Zhu Panzao attack the Red Bandits' defense line to see the Red Bandits' defense situation. So he turned to the artillery commander Tian Zhongyu and asked: "Have the artillery arrived?"

As the saying goes, "Family members know their own business." The Beiyang New Army was the military force that protected the capital, the imperial guards that guarded the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. The Beiyang's equipment and training were commendable. Even if the Red Bandits were able to annihilate the Green Camp in Gansu and Shaanxi, and the so-called New Army in Yunnan and Guizhou, in the eyes of the Beiyang New Army, the Forward Party was still a bunch of bandits, nothing compared to them, the old Beiyang. A motley crowd, Zhu Panzao and the Red Bandits engaged in numerous battles. While fearless, the Red Bandits scoffed at the equipment of the so-called People's Liberation Army they led. If it weren't for the natural fortress of Tongguan, the Red Bandits' troops would have been no match for the Beiyang New Army.

"The artillery has arrived."