1890 King of Southeast Asia

The news of the defeat of the Fifth Town could not be concealed at all. Duan Zhiquan and Zaixun both got the news on the second day.

A few remnants of the defeated army also reached Lincheng and spread the news that the Fifth Town was defeated and annihilated within a day. The terrified soldiers instinctively demonized the revolutionary army.

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"Have you heard? The group of people in the south can fly and evade the ground. They suddenly appeared at the Fifth Town's base and killed the Fifth Town."

"Hey! What do you know? That's an airplane with countless bombs. Each bomb is so big that it can blow up a large area."

"What? Didn't they say that the group of people in the south can fly? My cousin is from the Fifth Town. He just escaped yesterday. The attack came from the sky. They said that the group of people in the south grew wings and became monsters."

"Nonsense! Those southern barbarians have three heads, sharp mouths and fangs, and are invulnerable to swords and guns. There is only a puff of smoke when they are fired at..."

Zai Xun saw such remarks everywhere on the way from the inn where he stayed to Duan Zhiquan's camp. As the most feudal (fooling others and fooling themselves) Manchu noble upper class, he was a little panicked.

"Master Duan, have you heard? Those people in the south are all monsters..." Zaixun's reason and knowledge told him that he shouldn't believe these, but his ass and the education he received made him believe these.

After all, the theory of ghosts and gods corresponds to the induction between heaven and man, which is the orthodox source and legal basis of the feudal dynasty.

"Your Highness, don't worry. After repeated inquiries, we can basically conclude that the attack on the Fifth Town was launched by an airplane." Duan Zhiquan's face was full of black lines.

At the end of the Qing Empire, the lower-class people and the top ruling class were the most feudal. The former were educated to this state by the foolish education, and the latter had an ostrich mentality.

The middle and upper-class Han scholars and military officers, who benefited from the feudal system, were the most civilized class. They were just unwilling to change for their own interests.

"Plane? That's good, that's good. Those slaves, who talked about magic and foggy things, made you laugh." Zaixun agreed, and his tone was much more approachable.

"It is certain that the Fifth Town encountered two aircraft attacks in total, with no less than ten aircraft, and they were carrying a large number of bombs, which easily destroyed the morale of the soldiers."

"Although I don't understand why the aircraft can have such strong combat effectiveness and can carry so many bombs, there is one thing that is certain."

"These aircraft are not made by the rebels themselves, either purchased from abroad, or... given by Nanhua."

Duan Zhiquan patiently explained to the man who could control him.

If it weren't for the subsequent military expenses still relying on Zaixun, Duan Zhiquan didn't want to pay attention to him.

"Nanhua! It's this group of overseas survivors again, greedy, no respect for the ancestors, and the most hateful!" Hearing Nanhua, Zaixun gritted his teeth and said.

All of this can be traced back to a few years ago, when Zaixun breached the contract and forcibly sent troops to take over the Hanyeping Steel Plant.

After that, Nanhua launched a rapid counterattack, and the Qing Empire was defeated and lost Tianjin.

Zaixun, a new prince and a senior official of the Qing Empire, was held accountable after the defeat, lost his power and voice, and was scolded by students every day.

"Nanhua is so arrogant, don't Britain and France care?" After scolding for a long time, Zaixun choked out a sentence.

He had fought with Nanhua with real guns and bullets, but he was not confident that he could beat Nanhua, so he didn't say stupid words like teaching a lesson.

As for protest? He wanted to protest, but there was no place to protest.

When Nanhua sent out "mercenaries", for the sake of "procedural justice", it had withdrawn diplomatic personnel from the capital, cut off contact between the two sides, and established diplomatic relations with the three towns instead.

This was obviously not in line with international practice (there was no international law at that time), but Nanhua was not weak in fist, and it was still under the banner of targeting the Japanese, so those people just let it go.

Britain even hoped that the two sides would fight on the territory of the Qing Empire, and was ready to help Japan at a critical moment, but the fighting in the Balkans had become more and more intense, leaving it no energy to intervene in more things.

"Alas~ Britain and France don't look good either." Duan Zhiquan shook his head.

"I know the Nanhua Army. I led the army to fight them. Whether it's defense or offense, the new eight towns can still fight. In the field, our army will lose."

"The Beiyang towns are all elite, but for the sake of safety, I hope Lord Duan will think twice before sending troops."

Zaixun, who had calmed down, began to be a little scared again. He had to move forward with the army.

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What if he was killed by a plane on the way? How uneconomical would that be? He still had so much money to spend, and he hadn't even had sex with his new eleventh concubine. He couldn't bear to die like this.

"Your Majesty, I have no choice. If I don't send troops, I will definitely not be able to solve the crisis of Xuzhou City. If Xuzhou City is broken, we will be alone." Duan Zhiquan really wanted to smash Zaixun's head to see if it was filled with pure water.

Didn't he know that sending troops would be risky?

But if he didn't send troops and just defended Lincheng, could he hold it?

Not only was there no strategic location to defend, but would the soldiers still have the morale to continue fighting alone?

They had no choice but to move to Xuzhou or attack the enemy's rear and force them to return for help.

Moreover, they didn't have much time to think and weigh the pros and cons, because Xuzhou City couldn't hold out for long.

"Your Highness, the next step is to fight to the death. If we win, everything will be fine. If we lose, you and I will..." Duan Zhiquan said while shaking his head.

Zaixun suddenly came to his senses. He was just frightened by fear and couldn't think calmly. Now that he thought about it, if he didn't attack, he would really just wait for death.

If there is anything more painful than killing him, it would be to deprive him of his wealth and power. After enjoying the pleasure of power, he can't quit it at all.

"Then, the country of the Qing Dynasty will be in the hands of Lord Duan. After this battle, I will report the merits of the Queen Mother. In the future, there will be a place for you in the cabinet." Zaixun quickly offered a price, fearing that Duan Zhiquan would not be serious.

What can Duan Zhiquan do? If it were possible, they would have surrendered to the South long ago. Isn't this because the price was not negotiated?

It was clearly agreed that troops would be sent south to put some pressure and strive for a good price, but who knew that it would go downhill.

Well, whether the original price can be maintained is still unknown.

"Your Highness, the defeat of the Fifth Town has spread, and it is getting more and more outrageous. If this continues, morale will be low and the soldiers will have no desire to fight."

"The most urgent task is to revive the army and increase the chances of winning." Duan Zhiquan did not follow Zaixun's words.

What about the cabinet and the merits are all things for the future. The most urgent task is to win this battle.

As long as he can win, Beiyang's prestige will reach the highest level. Is he still afraid that his merits will be divided?

What royal cabinet, have you heard of the Beiyang cabinet?

Similarly, if you lose, the merits are just clouds that are blown away.

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And to win, you have to revive the army and boost morale, which requires money.

The money is in Zaixun's hands - this is his reliance on controlling the army.

"Understood, understood, I understand. Three hundred thousand taels will be sent to the camp tonight. Lord Duan, please help calm the troops." Zaixun nodded quickly.

Overall, including the reinforcements, the Qing Empire has eight divisions with more than 100,000 people here. Oh, the Fifth Town is gone, leaving seven.

The enemy has only four divisions. The Qing Empire has an advantage in manpower. Even if the firepower is not strong enough, there is still a chance of victory.

…………

Zheng Lei's headquarters, Zheng Lei is working on the map.

"Report, Commander, the two divisions from Jinling have arrived. Should we let them replenish the northeast?" Huang Zhengfang lifted the tarpaulin and came in with a box of documents.

"So soon? Use them to replace the Second Light Infantry Division and the Third Light Infantry Division. After fighting for so long, it's time to take a break." Zheng Lei threw down his pencil and nodded.

"Is the northeastern part weaker in the face of the Qing Empire's reinforcements? After replacing them, it's better to transfer the Second Light Infantry Division." Huang Zhengfang suggested.

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There are only the 1st Light Infantry Division and the 2nd Guards Division in the northeast. In addition to the divisional firepower, a heavy artillery regiment was also strengthened as strategic support.

The progress of the attack on Xuzhou City was not ideal. The city had been blown to pieces by artillery, and there were ruins everywhere, which was very suitable for street fighting.

The Beiyang Army was fine. Once attacked from both sides, they would surrender. However, the Japanese resistance never stopped and they liked to shoot from behind.

When the war reached street fighting, either they would fill it with their lives regardless of casualties, or they would flatten the city, or they would slowly grind it out with time and manpower until one side ran out of supplies or could no longer admit casualties.

"It is indeed necessary to send them. Order the Second Light Infantry Division to move north of Xuzhou, toward Peixian, and then cross Weishan Lake to attack the enemy's rear and block their retreat."

"No hurry. When the enemy troops in Lincheng come out, the Second Light Infantry Division will set out again. The speed must be fast. If everything goes well, this will be the last battle."

"After this battle, there will only be some small battles to finish off. There will be no problem entering the development stage."

Zheng Lei sighed more and more as he spoke. Now that the war is over and order is re-established, the Huaihe River region can rush to plant a season of mid-season rice, at least it will not delay the planting of late rice.

In this way, order can be restored earlier, and the development stage can be entered faster to provide a large rear for the westward advance.

"Yes!" Huang Zhengfang put down the roster and other materials and turned to arrange the rotation. Little did he know that it was this yes that made Zheng Lei send him to the grassland.

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"Zheng Fang is a good person, but his vision is a little narrow. Let him see more."

…………

On April 1, Duan Zhiquan's troops, who had finally regrouped, moved camp at 2 pm.

The scouts immediately reported Duan Zhiquan's actions, and the Second Light Infantry Division set out at around 3 pm and rushed to Pei County.

At 5 pm, it was a little dark. Duan Zhiquan, who was heading south, suddenly led his army to turn west and headed towards Weishan Lake - Weishan Lake, next to Pei County.

The news could not be concealed. The First Light Infantry Division immediately divided its troops to support the Second Light Infantry Division, while the Second Guards Division continued to reinforce its position.