Usurping the Qing Dynasty: My first love was Cixi

Chapter 277: The Hunan Army suffered an unprecedented defeat. Times have changed.

Chapter 277 The Hunan Army was defeated! Unprecedented! Times have changed

The fierce battle on the Heilongjiang battlefield has lasted for more than half a month, and both sides have given each other a small shock.

This is the first time that China has faced such a powerful opponent.

The entire Northern Expedition Army, which had fought against foreigners before, had no more than 3,000 people, and they had experienced domestic wars between weaklings.

All of a sudden, they were dragged into a high-end game.

Now the Russian army has more than 60,000 people, and the Northern Expedition Army has more than 50,000 people.

If it were just a simple Cossack cavalry, then the combat effectiveness would not be high, but a considerable part of these more than 60,000 people were mobilized from Europe.

So, at the beginning, the Northern Expedition Army on the Chinese side was directly stunned. They didn't expect this group of Russian troops to be so fierce and so tough?

But...

The Russians were even more shocked.

The Northern Expedition Army buried a large number of advanced mines in the front position, so the Russians suffered huge losses in their first charge.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

Accompanied by the horn of command, this group of Russians rushed forward one after another, stepping on one mine after another.

Killing a bunch of people.

After a long while, the commander behind noticed the mines all over the ground, so he ordered a retreat to avoid greater casualties.

Next, the Russians began to think of various ways to clear the mines.

The first thing that came to mind was to use a large number of livestock to step on the mines, but this is Siberia, whether it is a large number of dogs or a large number of sheep, they are very precious.

So, only the simplest method can be used, artillery fire to wash the ground.

Use a large number of artillery to plow the entire position hard and detonate a large number of mines in advance.

But after the truce at night, many engineers on the Chinese side went to the front position again and buried the mines.

In this way, it was pulled over and over again.

Senggelinqin couldn't help but sigh, it's a pity that the output in Jiujiang is still not high, otherwise if there are a lot of mines, it can completely enter a war of attrition.

Because according to calculations, it may take more than two or three shells to detonate a mine.

Moreover, the Russian army's supplies came from thousands of miles away, so this kind of consumption was worthwhile.

In this way, the Russian army used a large number of shells to consume all the mines on the Northern Expedition Army's side, and then launched a full-scale attack.

Senggelinqin used to fight and liked to take risks. He didn't have much patience, but he was brave. Otherwise, he would not have been killed by Zhang Zongyu's design of going deep into the enemy's territory alone in history.

And now, he has become the most cautious commander.

He has only one thought in his mind, to defend, to defend, until Su Ye arrives.

The 50,000 Northern Expedition troops accounted for almost one-third of the entire national army, and there were 20,000 to 30,000 bannermen.

This is the capital of the Qing Dynasty, and it must not be lost in its own hands.

Moreover, Senggelinqin really didn't understand this new type of war very well, nor was he very good at it.

So, his policy was to hide.

No matter what opportunities there are, no matter what tactics you use, my army will always hide in the solid fortresses and defense lines to defend.

Not seeking to maximize the results of the war, but only seeking to avoid losses in the army.

But it is this tactic that gives the Russian commander a headache.

Because the Chinese army's defense line is really... too professional and too difficult to chew.

This time, the Russian commander is not the Governor of East and West Siberia, but was transferred directly from Europe. He also arrived at the battlefield not long ago.

Before coming, he was full of contempt for the Chinese army, which is also the mainstream in Europe.

After all, the last time the British and French coalition forces broke through the capital was too easy, and the combat effectiveness shown by the Qing army was too weak and ridiculous.

The mainstream view in St. Petersburg, or the goal of this war, is to enter the capital again.

The last time the British and French coalition forces sent 30,000 troops, but in fact only 8,000 people were used to enter the capital.

And this time, the Russian army used more than 60,000 troops to break through the Chinese capital again, which should be easy.

The Russian commander has explained this military goal more than once in the St. Petersburg court.

Even, it is a military order in a sense.

Break through the capital, capture the Empress Dowager, expel Su Ye from power, and support the Qing court center headed by Yi and the southern forces headed by Zeng Guofan.

Not only must the previous 600,000 square kilometers of territory be completely taken into the pocket, but also Jilin, Shengjing, Heilongjiang and other territories must be ceded more than half.

In addition, the new Qing court center must be forced to recognize the fact of independence on the other side of the territory.

In other words, St. Petersburg spent such a huge price to directly separate one-third of China's territory.

Therefore, entering the capital is an absolute goal. They did not care too much about the Heilongjiang defense line.

As a result, when the commander arrived at the battlefield, he was a little stunned.

The scale of this defense line? It's too amazing.

The defense line stretches for dozens or hundreds of miles, countless trenches, countless barbed wire, and countless bunkers.

The key is that the trenches are dug too professionally.

More than just trenches professionally? Bunkers, shooting positions, artillery positions.

Each one is textbook-level.

Even the defense line in the Crimea battlefield was not so professional.

Su Ye spent several million taels of silver, more than a year, and mobilized nearly 100,000 people to dig out the defense line.

After the mines were exhausted, the Russian coach felt that he could charge aggressively this time and defeat the Chinese army in one fell swoop.

As a result...the completely inconspicuous barbed wire fence brought them huge trouble.

On the Suzhou battlefield a few years ago, Su Yi used barbed wire tactics. At that time, it was not a real barbed wire, but it had already achieved miraculous results, and the Taiping Army suffered greatly.

But on the world's battlefields, it would not be until 1898 that barbed wire tactics would actually appear on the battlefield.

But now, Su Yi made him appear thirty years in advance.

Before tanks, barbed wire was an infantryman's nightmare.

Now, it has become a nightmare for the Russian army.

The Northern Expeditionary Army gradually calmed down from the initial panic.

Because they discovered that although foreigners are powerful, they are not heavenly soldiers or generals.

Moreover, the defense line deployed by Prince Su Yi's staff is indeed awesome.

I didn’t feel it when I was deploying it, but when I started fighting, I found it was really powerful.

Seng Gelinqin also breathed a sigh of relief. If this continues, there should be no problem at least until Su Yi goes north.

………………………………

Wuchang!

Zeng Guofan, Peng Yulin and others received a series of bad news.

In the naval battle, Su Yi won a complete victory.

The U.S. Navy retreated to Japan.

The Russian Navy also retreated from the Vladivostok base.

Su Yi's fleet fought back to the Yangtze River, and then pursued the Hunan Army's navy for thousands of miles.

Just ten days.

Su Yi's navy completely regained the navigation rights of the entire Yangtze River.

Most of the naval force that the Hunan Army had finally accumulated was lost, and the remaining damaged naval force was huddled in Wuchang and needed the protection of the army.

After regaining the rights to the Yangtze River waterway, the Jiujiang Economic Pilot Zone immediately resumed trade.

It has been judged before that the key to this battle lies in the Yangtze River route.

The Hunan Army built a total of three lines of defense and deployed heavy troops in the three important towns of Anqing, Wuchang, and Chongqing.

These three important towns are connected entirely by the Yangtze River Navy.

The reason for formulating such a strategy is entirely because of the strength of the British and American combined navies. In the eyes of the Hunan Army's top brass, there should be no suspense in this naval battle.

The U.S. and Russian navies will surely win. Next, under the cover of the two navies, the Hunan Navy will dominate the Yangtze River. Moreover, assistance from the United States and Russia can continuously enter the Hunan Army's battlefield, and even when necessary, mercenaries from the United States and Russia can help fight.

The result now?

Su Yi Haijun actually won.

This...this result even makes people feel ridiculous.

What to do next?

"Commander, Shen Baozhen is here to visit!"

Zeng Guofan was shocked. Is Shen Baozhen coming at this time?

……………………

In the study room of the governor's Yamen, Shen Baozhen interviewed Zeng Guofan, Peng Yulin and others.

"Zeng Gong, Peng Gong, you have said before that the key to this battle is the Yangtze River. Whoever controls the Yangtze River almost controls the victory of the entire battlefield."

"Now, we have complete control of the Yangtze River and have completely cut off your three main battlefields."

"So, surrender." Shen Baozhen got straight to the point.

Li Xubin said: "Master Shen, what we said at the time was that if we lose the Yangtze River, Su Yi will lose 60-70% of this battle. But if we win the Yangtze River, then Su Yi may not have a 60-70% winning rate. "

"We have 100,000 people in Anqing and hundreds of thousands of people in Wuchang."

"Anqing, how many years has Fa Ni been operating? The defense line is airtight and there are countless fortresses. It is absolutely easy to defend and difficult to attack. We have an army of 100,000 to defend, and you have an army of more than 40,000 to attack. How can we win?"

"I know you want to talk about the Hangzhou battlefield. You used 40,000 to 50,000 people to defeat the rebel army of hundreds of thousands. But don't forget, the rebel army of hundreds of thousands was outside the city at that time, and part of your army was inside Hangzhou. , It’s an internal and external attack.”

"The only battle we can refer to is your attack on Jiaxing."

"In the battle of Jiaxing, Li Shixian was full of admiration for Su Yi, but the fight was still extremely brutal. You suffered heavy casualties. In the end, it was Li Shixian who took the initiative to retreat."

"In terms of the strength of the city? In terms of the density of the defense lines? Is Jiaxing better than Anqing? Not to mention we have a hundred thousand defenders."

What Li Xubin said makes sense to a certain extent.

Li Xubin continued: "There is another example, and that is the defense battle of Tianjing. We used more than 200,000 troops to attack Tianjing, and we fought for several months without defeating it. In fact, even if you take action, it will be difficult to defeat it. . It’s just that you used mind-attacking techniques, and the high-level officials surrendered with little resistance.”

"Fa Ni has been operating in Anqing for seven or eight years, and finally handed over the entire defense line to us intact. We have also been operating in Wuchang for nearly ten years, and the density of the defense line is far higher than what you have on the battlefield in Heilongjiang."

"So, whether it's Anqing or Wuchang, you can't defeat them."

"Moreover, time is also on our Hunan Army, not on Su Yi's side." Li Xubin said: "On the Heilongjiang battlefield, the Russian army of more than 60,000 people, like wolves and tigers, may break through the defense line and enter the capital at any time. Su Yi thought of using Deal with us as quickly as possible, and then go north to support the Heilongjiang battlefield. But how long can the Heilongjiang battlefield last for a month? "

"So, whether our Hunan Army is in Anqing or Wuchang, it is enough to hold on for a month or two. As long as the Heilongjiang defense line collapses, our Hunan Army will be victorious."

"As for the Western Expeditionary Army, it is more than ten thousand miles away from here. If you want Zuo Zongtang's Western Expeditionary Army to support the southern battlefield, it will take two months to reach it."

"And in the capital, how many bannermen and ministers are hiding in the darkness, preparing for a coup? The combined strength of Ronglu and Jingshou has exceeded Su Yi's strength in the capital. They dare not move now, but if the Heilongjiang battlefield Something unexpected happened and you haven't made a breakthrough in the southern battlefield for a long time. Will they remain still? "

"So, whether it's Wuchang or Anqing, as long as they hold on for two months, the war situation on Su Yi's side will collapse immediately."

"Then Lord Shen Baozhen, is it a little too early for you to persuade me to surrender?"

Shen Baozhen said slowly: "I won't refute. Is it okay if I tell you the conditions?"

Zeng Guofan said: "You say."

Shen Baozhen said: "If you surrender now, you can retire safely, but your nephew can still serve as an official."

Upon hearing this condition, all the giants of the Hunan Army were a little stunned.

You, are you really here to surrender?

This condition is ridiculously harsh.

If you surrender, shouldn't high-ranking officials be given generous salaries?

Zeng Guofan said slowly: "Shen Baozhen, you can go back."

Li Xubin said: "Sir Shen Baozhen, when you were in Jiujiang, you kneeled down towards Su Yi at the critical moment. You must have been very proud and felt that it was the wisest choice in your life. But I can tell you that the road to life is too long. , Looking forward ten years, your choice may be wise, but looking back ten years, your choice may be the most unsuccessful.”

Shen Baozhen stared at Li Xubin in the wheelchair and said, "Master Li Xubin, your temperament has really changed."

This sentence alone is full of a sense of superiority and calmness.

This greatly stimulated Li Xubin.

Ever since Chen Yucheng's false surrender caused Li Xubin to break his legs and the Hunan army was defeated in the attack on Tianjing, his temperament has indeed become very extreme.

When Shen Baozhen stood up and was about to walk out of the door, he suddenly said: "By the way, there is a small thing that I hope Marshal Zeng will agree to."

Zeng Guofan said: "Say."

Shen Baozhen said: "Zhao Liewen, are you imprisoned?"

Zeng Guofan said: "Yes."

Shen Baozhen said: "Leave him to me and take him away."

Zeng Guofan asked: "Is he really your undercover agent?"

Shen Baozhen said: "Leave him to me."

Zeng Guofan said coldly: "Before, he was imprisoned without any conviction. Now that you admit it, the evidence of his guilt is conclusive and he will undoubtedly die."

Shen Baozhen said again: "Leave him to me."

Li Xubin said: "He is a traitor seeking glory, so he must die."

Shen Baozhen said slowly: "Leave him to me, otherwise many more people in your family will die in the future. Don't force us."

Zeng Guofan said: "He is no longer of use to you."

Shen Baozhen said: "No, he is a talent. In his previous job, he was just a small talent but he was of great use. The prince was of great use to him."

"Mr. Zeng, your so-called crusade against Zhao Wen has convicted the prince of several serious crimes. The prince does not care and is not very angry. But if you don't let Zhao Liewen go, the prince will be very angry, and the consequences will be very serious."

Zeng Guofan roared: "Don't the consequences of my anger be serious?"

Shen Baozhen said slowly: "You won't let go, right?"

Zeng Guofan said: "Don't let it go."

Shen Baozhen said: "I understand, I hope you won't regret it in the future."

Then, Shen Baozhen left directly.

…………………………………………

That night.

Zeng Guofan went to the cell and met Zhao Liewen.

"Su Yi sent Shen Baozhen to negotiate. One of the conditions was to let you go back. I refused." Zeng Guofan said.

Zhao Liewen sat cross-legged on the ground, wiping his beard and saying nothing.

Zeng Guofan said: "Originally, we were only suspicious of you and were not sure whether you betrayed us or took refuge in Su Yi. Now that Shen Baozhen has officially asked us for help, we can convict you."

Zhao Liewen remained silent.

Zeng Guofan said: "Get ready to go on the road, and you won't have to say that I will kill you for not teaching you."

Zhao Liewen still said nothing.

Zeng Guofan said: "Before I execute you, I would like to know why you did this? You are a Han Chinese, why did you betray your camp and join Su Yi, a Manchu?"

Zhao Liewen sneered in his heart, almost disdainful to refute, his eyes even showed pity.

I have come out of the well and look at the frog in the well again. It is really sad, deplorable and ridiculous.

Zeng Guofan was strongly stimulated by Zhao Liewen's attitude.

Shen Baozhen treated me with a condescending attitude, that's all.

You, Zhao Liewen, also treated me like this?

Why?

I, Zeng Guofan, was a tycoon of his generation and made great contributions to the country.

"Zhao Liewen, are you despising me?" Zeng Guofan suddenly said.

Zhao Liewen nodded and said, "Yes, Marshal Zeng."

Zeng Guofan said angrily: "Why do you do that?"

Zhao Liewen said: "In the past, although everyone was their own master, I felt guilty for the commander-in-chief, and I also had a bit of admiration for him. But now, the commander-in-chief colludes with foreigners to destroy China, and is such a national traitor. Of course, I can only despise him. "

"In my heart, Marshal Zeng was half a hero. Now it seems that he is really unbearable."

"Of course, maybe the commander-in-chief has always been like this, but the current situation has forced you to reveal your true colors."

Zeng Guofan said in a cold voice: "It's just a king who becomes a king and a loser. Didn't Su Yi collude with foreigners? How did Su Yi treat the late emperor at that time?"

Zhao Liewen said: "How many times did the British and French coalition forces attack our country? Which time did Prince Su Yi not send troops? In the second Battle of Dagukou, he sent troops and hit the British and French flagships. Then he led his troops into Beijing to defend the Old Summer Palace, defend the Forbidden City, and The British and French forces lost nearly half of their troops in the battle, and after entering the center, he did not hesitate to offend the British and prevent foreigners from entering the Yangtze River. "

Zeng Guofan said: "Half of the Jiujiang Economic Experimental Zone is owned by foreigners. Isn't this betraying the country?"

Zhao Liewen said: "Awaken the people of the country and urge self-improvement."

"Forget it, forget it, if we continue to argue, it will turn into a dispute about who is superior between you and my lord. Are you worthy?"

"It is a disgrace to compare you to my lord.

"Commander Zeng, it is a pity that he will not be able to protect himself at the end of his life and will be infamy for thousands of years."

Then, Zhao Liewen closed his eyes and stopped talking.

Zeng Guofan was so angry that he was trembling all over and said: "Come here, take him away and prepare to behead him in sacrifice to the flag."

Next, an elite Hunan army entered the cell and took Zhao Liewen away.

Because this place may no longer be safe, and he was worried that Su Yi would send someone to rob the prison, so Zhao Liewen had to be transferred secretly.

Killing, not killing for the time being.

Since Su Yi valued Zhao Liewen so much, he had to wait until the critical moment to use him, or kill him at the critical moment.

…………………………………………

Jiujiang!

Su Yi held two precious daughters in each hand.

It’s really annoying.

One was born to Yehenala, and the other was born to Princess Shouxi.

The two babies are a few months apart.

"I heard that you have hosted several high-level banquets recently?" Su Yi asked, "How do you feel?"

Princess Shouxi said: "It's quite challenging and quite interesting."

Su Yi said: "After this battle is won, the British Empire will upgrade its relations with our country, and heavyweights will officially visit. You should start preparing now to receive the other party's female relatives."

Princess Shouxi said: "Is it Princess Alice? Or the wife of a certain Crown Prince Edward."

Su Yi said: "You have really done a lot of homework."

Crown Prince Edward married a Danish princess last year.

Princess Shouxi said: "There are no secrets among the top nobles. At the last dinner, the countess said that if we win the war with the Russians this time, we will continue to enter the world's mainstream countries. Then Crown Prince Edward will officially visit , is a high probability event. And Sir Basili, Earl Burke, and Sir Baoling have also been promoting this matter."

Su Yi said: "What a great progress. Before you were in the capital, you didn't care about anything."

Princess Shouxi said angrily: "Are you laughing at me that I am blind?"

As she spoke, her eyes were already showing charm.

Two nuns from outside came in and said, "The two little princesses are about to nurse."

Then, the two took the two babies away and closed the door.

Princess Shouxi snuggled into Su Ye's arms tenderly and said softly: "Su Ye, thank you."

Su Yi said: "Thank me for what?"

Princess Shouxi said: "Thank you for being patient with me, thank you for not giving up on me."

Su Yi said: "I just say some random things every day."

Princess Shouxi kissed Su Yi's lips and said softly, "I don't know when the fourth sister will come back."

What you said is not serious at first sight.

What happened when the fourth sister came back?

Do you want to play some Diderot game?

If you are willing, your fourth sister may not be willing.

Next, Princess Shouxi took off her skirt, turned around in front of Su Yi, and said softly: "Does it look good?"

And...it's really pretty.

You...you actually wear such immodest underwear?

A masterpiece of the royal livery bureau.

Not circulated to the outside world.

The design is very bold.

Sexy to the extreme.

Princess Shouxi, gently lying on the carpet, her whole curve became extremely hot.

"Husband, where do I rank among your women?"

A woman who has given birth to a child will sometimes truly display a thrilling charm.

The previous Princess Shouxi was only beautiful but not charming.

Now, it's complete.

Su Yi said: "My appearance is one of the best. My figure is one of the best."

Princess Shouxi said: "Now that we are in this posture, is it still just counting three to four?"

Su Yi stepped forward and gently opened the fine cloth.

Not even an inch.

"Be tolerant, you are so beautiful, you are already amazing." Su Yi said softly.

Princess Shouxi sobbed: "Me and the fourth sister, who is more beautiful and who has a better figure?"

Su Yi said: "I don't want to give the answer."

Princess Shouxi said: "If you are partial, I know you love the fourth sister more."

………………………………

After leaving Princess Shouxi's side, Su Yi went to spend the night at Yehenala's side.

Leave the next day.

Shen Baozhen returned and told the results of the negotiations with Zeng Guofan.

"In our opinion, we have obtained the right to the Yangtze River waterway, and we have won most of this battle. We did not expect that in the eyes of the senior leaders of the Hunan Army, it was us who were at risk. They felt that they had completely taken the initiative." Shen Baozhen said: " Sure enough, people only believe what they want to believe.”

Hu Xueyan said, "Because they feel that the Russians will definitely win a big victory in the northern battlefield, and a quick victory. In their opinion, if the 60,000 Russian army fights against our 50,000 Northern Expeditionary Army, it will take at most half a month to break through the entire defense line." Enter the capital as quickly as possible."

Xu Youren smiled and said, "Even Brother Guangyong has learned about military affairs."

Hu Xueyan said, "It's hard not to understand what you hear and see."

His face was calm at this time, but he was very excited inside, because it was his first time to attend such a high-level meeting.

This means that Su Ye definitely doesn't just regard him, Hu Xueyan, as a businessman, but also wants to train him to be a politician.

Su Ye said, "Although there has been a conclusion before, today is the last discussion. Should we attack Anqing or Wuchang?"

"Anqing!"

The senior officials present almost said in unison.

Yuan Jiasan said: "Anqing has been militarized for a long time. Even if it is destroyed, the loss to the future Westernization Movement will not be too great. Wuchang City is too important to the next prince, and there are a lot of industries in it. It is better to take it back relatively intact."

Ma Xinyi said: "My mentor and I have been officials in Anhui for a long time, so there are our old subordinates and old acquaintances among the Anqing defenders at this time."

Chen Yucheng said: "The Anqing City defense line was built by us. We know clearly where the flaws are."

Hong Renli said: "Anqing."

She didn't say the reason, because in the past two years, the Hunan Army has been bought by the Intelligence Department. How powerful is the infiltration?

Not only in Anqing, but even in Wuchang City, there are many undercover agents of the Intelligence Department.

Su Ye said: "First of all, I am full of confidence in the defense line of the Heilongjiang battlefield. However, we must also resolve the war in the south as soon as possible and immediately return to the Heilongjiang battlefield. I am not afraid that Heilongjiang will not be able to hold on, but I am worried that someone in the capital will move."

"Regarding the Anqing Campaign, we have deployed more than a dozen times."

"Wang Tianyang, Chen Yucheng, Lai Wenguang!" As Su Ye called the names.

The three division commanders stood up directly.

"Mr. Xu, Mr. Yuan, Mr. Ma."

Xu Youren, Yuan Jiasan, and Ma Xinyi stood up.

Some of these three people are responsible for the navy, some are responsible for logistics and supplies, and some are responsible for contacting undercovers in Anqing.

"Give me a timetable, how long will it take to capture Anqing?" Su Ye asked.

The Hunan Army giants thought that Anqing could at least defend for more than two or three months.

In fact, they did not think that Anqing would fall.

Because Su Ye only had more than 40,000 people, and Anqing had more than 100,000 defenders.

Moreover, Anqing is not just a city, but a very solid and complete defense line, with jagged edges and impenetrable.

The Hunan Army felt that as long as they could hold on for more than a month, Su Ye's battle situation in Heilongjiang would collapse and the Hunan Army would win.

Wang Tianyang said: "Half a month, I am willing to issue a military order to capture Anqing within half a month."

Originally, Chen Yucheng was the first to speak, but was stopped by Lai Wenguang.

Don't be impulsive, Wang Tianyang is the direct descendant of the prince.

Su Ye said: "Chen Yucheng, what do you want to say?"

Chen Yucheng said: "Ten days!"

"If you don't take down this Anqing city within ten days, then I, the division commander, don't have to do it."

Su Ye nodded and said: "Okay, then half a month."

"Within half a month, no matter what the cost, we must take down Anqing."

Several people present said in unison: "Subordinates obey the order!"

…………………………………………

Two days later!

The Battle of Anqing broke out!

Su Ye's First Division, Ninth Division, and Tenth Division, with a total of 48,000 people, attacked Anqing.

Xu Youren and Count Eugen led the main force of the navy to bombard Anqing crazily.

The Hunan Army deployed more than 100,000 defenders in Anqing, led by Li Xuyi.

Although it was not a military order, Chen Yucheng regarded it as a military order in his heart.

If Anqing is not taken within ten days, he will no longer have the face to be the division commander.

With the full-scale attack, the entire Anqing battlefield was shaking.

The 100,000 Hunan Army was directly stunned.

Never, never experienced such crazy artillery fire.

Three divisions, hundreds of artillery.

Plus naval warships, hundreds of naval guns.

Unprecedented artillery bombarded the position.

Astronomical shells fell.

The intensity of this bombing was more than five times that of the previous battles experienced by the Hunan Army.

The defense line that stretched for dozens of miles was full of flames and explosions.

Moreover, the entire explosion lasted for a very long time.

I don't know how many people were deafened by the explosion.

After the crazy bombardment, the infantry began to advance the front line.

The Hunan Army defenders were overjoyed, and they finally entered the part they were good at. We have the advantage of terrain, inside the defense fortress, and you are charging outside, and we will definitely shoot you indiscriminately.

Next, it's time for our Hunan Army to start a massacre.

But... they thought too much.

Su Ye's infantry were all crawling and shooting, and it was impossible for the other side to kill on a large scale.

When encountering a fortress, first bombard it with artillery, but it can't be blown up.

Then use infantry and use TNT explosives to detonate and destroy it.

Local firepower coverage and suppression directly suppressed the Hunan Army within the range of this fortress so that they couldn't even raise their heads.

Because they were all burst rifles, the density of firepower was terrifying.

"Boom boom boom..."

With a series of violent explosions.

In the eyes of the Hunan Army, the impregnable fortresses were completely blown into ruins one by one.

Moreover, dozens of airships in the air were patrolling.

They not only reported the battlefield situation, but also killed the Hunan Army commander.

Dozens of airships could not launch a full-scale air strike.

Because the Hunan Army's ammunition depots are all in underground warehouses, they are difficult to detonate, so air strikes are meaningless.

However, air strikes can be used to kill commanders at all levels.

Once the commanders are injured or killed, the Hunan Army's command system on this part of the defense line will be disintegrated.

This is a battle that the Hunan Army cannot understand at all.

The three directions of land, sea and air are attacked.

This is a stranglehold in another dimension.

Even if the Hunan Army has 100,000 troops, even if there are dense fortresses and defense lines, it is of no use at all.

The Hunan Army generals desperately discovered that in any local battlefield, Su Ye's army's offensive firepower is completely overwhelming, not two or three times, but five or six times the firepower, or even more.

Moreover, because of the airships in the air, the Hunan Army's artillery positions have nowhere to hide. As long as their artillery fires, their specific locations will be discovered immediately.

Then there is no time to evacuate, and the Hunan Army's artillery positions will be carpet bombed.

Therefore, throughout the entire battle, the Hunan Army's artillery was almost in a state of silence.

In this way, the Hunan Army's outer defense line in Anqing fell one after another.

Countless fortresses were bombed one after another.

The Hunan Army continued to shrink its defense line.

Commander Li Xuyi was almost desperate.

Because in this battle, Su Ye did not use any tricks at all, such as bombing the medicine warehouse and bombing the grain warehouse.

There was no rebellion, and no one turned against him.

Just like that, it advanced normally.

It was completely unstoppable, and I didn't even know how to stop it.

The Hunan Army had a sand table with a very complete Anqing battlefield. The blue flag represented the Hunan Army and the white flag represented Su Ye.

Almost all the time, the flags of both sides were changing.

The white flag representing Su Ye's army was always advancing and constantly occupying strongholds.

"Sir, this kind of battle has never been fought before."

"I can't even raise my head."

"We don't know where the enemy is, but the enemy knows our movements clearly."

"Once the enemy wants to attack a certain stronghold, the bullets will come like a rainstorm, and showing your head means death."

"The enemy's explosives are many times more powerful than ours. As long as they get close, our fortress will be blown up."

"I, I feel that Su Ye's army is completely different from ours."

……………………

Just three days!

On the sand table, almost all the defense lines and fortresses outside Anqing City have changed color.

All fell.

Li Xuyi suddenly said: "When we rebelled against Anqing, how long did it take us to occupy the outer defense line?"

The subordinate said: "More than a year, we didn't take it down."

Historically, it took the Hunan Army a full year and a half to capture Anqing.

And now, in just three days, the entire outer position has been lost.

After a long while, Li Xuyi said, "No wonder Su Ye is so arrogant and calm."

"We are probably frogs in the well."

The subordinate said, "Then, what should we do?"

Li Xuyi said, "What else can we do? We can only fight on. No matter what the result is, we will accept it."

"Even if we fail, it will be a warning to the world."

………………………………

The next day!

With an order, the siege officially began.

Chen Yucheng observed the battlefield with a telescope and said, "No wonder the prince stayed in Jiujiang and didn't come to the battlefield. There is no need at all."

"I said ten days, but I was... timid. I should say seven days."

The entire outer defense line was taken in three days, so why would it take ten days?

In this battle, the officers and soldiers of the Ninth and Tenth Divisions were a little stunned.

This is the most fully trained army, which has been trained for fourteen months at the Tianjin Military Station. Because most of them are elite Taiping troops, they are worried that they will be imprisoned by the old tactics, so they are allowed to learn and practice fully.

A few months before the war, it was decided that Anqing would be the main battlefield.

The General Staff conducted war games again and again, and finally formulated a complete plan.

Therefore, the three divisions fought completely according to the textbook strategy.

There was basically no self-play.

Unexpectedly, the result was so good.

This level of battle did not even encounter strong resistance.

"Boom... Boom... Boom..." Suddenly, there was a shocking explosion.

A section of the Anqing city wall seemed to be lifted up by a giant and thrown into the air.

A huge gap was directly blown out of the city wall of more than dozens of meters.

Chen Yucheng was stunned, so fast?

This is not an underground tactic, but the Taiping Army secretly dug many underground caves when building the defense line, and some caves were not even known to the Hunan Army.

At this time, it was obvious that the undercover agents of the Intelligence Department in Anqing City took action.

Moreover, more than one undercover took action.

Dozens or hundreds of undercover agents took action.

Not only should the city wall be detonated, but also the ammunition depot, granary and other important targets should be detonated.

As a result, the city wall collapsed directly after being detonated.

Hong Renli quickly sent a signal.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh..." Fireworks of special colors and shapes flew directly into the sky.

Stop detonating the ammunition depot and the granary.

Because these materials can be completely seized, it would be a pity to detonate and burn them.

The charge sounded!

Countless soldiers rushed into the collapsed city wall entrance like a tide.

At the same time.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh..."

There were fireworks again, flying directly into the sky.

Another special signal, special color.

In the city, those Hunan Army generals who were instigated by the Intelligence Department took out special red scarves and tied them directly around their necks.

Shouted loudly: "We are against it!"

"The Hunan Army rebelled and surrendered to King Su!"

"The Hunan Army rebelled and surrendered to the court!"

These Hunan Army generals had been instigated before, but they were still undecided.

But in this situation, what is there to be undecided about?

Hurry up and revolt on the battlefield, otherwise it will be too late.

The Hunan Army generals in the city revolted one after another.

When the commander Li Xuyi saw this scene, he was completely cold.

After a long while, a deputy general behind him took out a gun and aimed at Li Xuyi.

"Sir, don't blame us."

"We want to live, and our brothers also want to live."

Then he also took out a red scarf and tied it around his neck carelessly.