Chapter 36: The Deadline (Part 1)

August 10, 1894.

The wind was strong, and there was a whistling sound around the main position of the Imperial Guards Dongxianling. The strong wind blew straight from the Sea of ​​Japan and crossed North Korea until it caused waves on the Yellow Sea!

Xu Yifan quietly watched the clouds in the sky flowing rapidly by the strong wind, and the light and shadow changed.

Deng Shichang, will he never see him again?

At the time in Tianjin, the two of them were already in the same state. Deng Shichang's sacrifice of his future achieved his great cause in Nanyang. It can even be said that without Deng Shichang, there would be no Xu Yifan today!

The dark man who always had a cold face and couldn't say anything good in his mouth. He left like this. He was no longer the national hero he saw in the history textbook, but like Xu Yifan, he was looking for a way out in this dark world and was struggling with bloody paths!

Old Deng, Old Deng, are you watching from the sky, and I still have the nerve to retreat? I hug a bunch of beauties and go to be a rich man. Think about it, you are afraid you will be embarrassed. You are so amazing. You die so peacefully, but you think I can carry this burden?

Damn......You are dead so simply, I want to hand over the navy to you!

Xu Yifan only felt that he had not changed history, but history was profoundly changing him.

Pu Yang walked gently to his side and whispered, "Sir, let's be the priest." Xu Yifan nodded and agreed, put the general's hat on his head, and walked out with big strodes.

On a small flat ground behind the main position of Dongxianling, the senior officers who could be present in the Imperial Guards were already here. Tang Shaoyi and other civil servants were also there, a white wooden altar was placed in the middle, with all the elegy couplets in the middle, and the soul-guiding flags were blown by the wind, and the corners of the flags were slapped on the flagpole and making a sound.

In the queue, there were several Huai Army military officers wearing five-cloud jackets and military uniforms, trying their best to keep their expressions calm, but Ye Zhichao, who had a blue-white face, was among them. There was no red top on his big hat, but he just added a hat knot. He pretended to be calm and looked around, but no one looked at him more. Even Nie Shicheng looked disgusted.

Deng Shichang is dead, but this guy is still alive. Xu Yifan doesn't have the ability to defy the will of heaven now.

On the seventh day of August, the Beiyang Navy appeared outside the Datong River. The five soldiers they escorted were escorted at a distance of two hours in the rear, and were directly escorted by torpedo speedboats such as Fulong. The Beiyang Navy, who had opened the way in advance, met the main force of the Japanese joint fleet that had been waiting for for a long time!

The naval battle broke out, after the long battle, the brave battle was sunk, the powerful battle was sunk, the powerful battle was sunk, the Zhiyuan battle was sunk! Deng Shichang resolutely ordered the impact of Yoshino when the entire ship of Zhiyuan was in flames, and Zhiyuan was hit by a torpedo. Deng Shichang followed Zhiyuan as he wished. Zhiyuan's sailors once saw Deng Shichang's beloved dog swam over to pull Deng Shichang's hair, but Deng Shichang pressed him to death together.

Dingyuan Zhenyuan and others were covered in scars and turned around and returned to the nearest Lushun. Many ships of the Japanese combined fleet were injured, and after obtaining the results of controlling the sea power, they also retreated south one after another. After this battle, the Beiyang Navy suffered a heavy blow and no longer had the ability to sail and seek war. The Korean sea route was completely isolated!

When the news came back to the country, the world was shocked, and Li Hongzhang immediately vomited blood. Even Emperor Guangxu, who had been constantly issuing edicts, thinking that he was fully controlling the war, had no new instructions issued for a whole day. Everyone was already brave enough to fall into the trap. The situation in North Korea was already in danger, and it was not just that. In recent decades, the Qing Dynasty had been beaten several times by Western powers. Knowing the danger of the loss of Haikou, the opponent could land everywhere and reach the critical point of the capital. He worked hard to build the navy, which was also to use Guhaikou. As a result, the navy was gone now, so what should we talk about when Guhaikou?

The government and the country, including Li Hongzhang from Beiyang, were shocked and sent a telegram to North Korea like crazy, and concentrated on Xu Yifan, asking Ye Zhichao whereabouts and how the Korean war was. Now the Beiyang Navy has gone all out, and the main force of the Land Division is also in North Korea. Now it is urgent to need this force as the backbone to defend the various sea ports!

Xu Yifan was silent for a day or two. On the ninth day of the eighth month, Xu Yifan was led by his civil and military officers, and many Huai Army generals under Nie Shicheng also joined forces to report with telegrams.

The North Korean mainland division is also indescribable! The main force of the army, Yashan, Seoul, and Zuo Baogui died in battle. After Ye Zhichao reported his achievements, he led the main force to flee north without fighting. After being pursued and ambushed by hundreds of Japanese troops, the entire army was already defeated. Li Hongzhang tried his best to gather more than 26,000 Huai army in North Korea. Now there are more than 2,200 Nie Shicheng and Zuo Baogui. Ye Zhichao was originally a 23rd Battalion infantry, the fourth battalion horse team, the fourth battalion artillery team, and Changfu and other personnel. The absolute main force that Li Hongzhang relied on as the Great Wall, but now there are only more than 8,000 people left! Moreover, all the weapons, ammunition and supplies were lost!

If Xu Yifan had not dispatched the Imperial Guard to respond, even these 8,000 people would not have been left!

With the Huai Army generals as a witness, Xu Yifan calculated Ye Zhichao's domineering, stubborn, stupid, timid, timid, lies, and a series of misconduct. How Nie Shicheng and Zuo Baogui fought hard, but he was abandoned. All the personnel in the rank unanimously asked the court to deal with Ye Zhichao and defend Rugui and other generals, and also protected Nie Shicheng to lead the remaining troops of the Huai Army, and asked the court to instruct the Korean War to defend the situation!

……………………… The most pessimistic person in the government and the country did not expect that the Qing Dynasty, which had been self-reliant for more than 30 years, was beaten to such a tragic situation by little Japan! Even Tan Sitong, who was instructed by Xu Yifan to promote how fragile the Qing Dynasty was, did not expect that it would be!

The world is shaking. Perhaps after the vibration, someone will think that this country can still maintain the same old path!

What surprised everyone was that Li Hongzhang did not collapse. Instead, he was much stronger than Qingliu, the imperial party who had been calling for the war at the beginning, but now he was in a hurry. After Xu Yifan sent a telegram, he immediately accused of guilt and told North Korea that the country must prepare for defense immediately. In the original state of Zhili Jingji, there were about 100 defense battalions, with about 50,000 troops available. Half of the North Koreans were transferred, and the others included the empty amount, but only less than 20,000 people were left. The defense battalions in the southern provinces must be transferred northward and recruited new camps. To do domestic war defense strategies, Beiyang is willing to take out all its assets, and other provinces must also take this as the top priority.

Now, all the matters in Korea are entrusted to Xu Yifan, giving Xu Yifan full authority to lead all the Qing army in Korea. Whether it is the Imperial Guard or the Huai Army———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

………Even if he was defeated by Japan, the Qing Dynasty would not be damaged. However, Xu Yifan has always done extraordinary things. The court has weak ability to control him. Once he becomes a big shot, he may not be able to say anything at that time!

Li Hongzhang reported to Cixi directly for the second half of the treatment of Ye Zhichao. The failure of the war aroused Li Hongzhang's fighting spirit. No matter what measures he took, his Beiyang group could not collapse! He also knew the political reality of the Qing Dynasty very clearly.

As soon as Li Hongzhang reported the telegram, the court, which was already panicked, immediately caught a life-saving straw. The imperial party clear stream, and when it comes to commanding a modern war, it can be said that it is nothing. I thought that everyone was brave enough to fight to the death of the Saint King. The small Japanese would be defeated by a slight battle. The strategic planning, tactical design, logistics organization, and resource mobilization for modern wars. They had no authority and no practical operation ability! Li Hongzhang came up with a solution, and they accepted it in a terrified manner. Cixi also sent a message to protect Ye Zhichao. Guangxu immediately went out with a bunch of telegrams.

………Ye Zhichao Wei Rugui seized his post! He served in front of the army and redeemed himself. If there was another situation in the past, the court would have locked up the heavy spot!

………………In the headquarters of the Chaohuai Army, Nie Shicheng was led by the head-to-head rank. He was already in the rank of admiral and the military official position had reached its peak. He had to add the rank of junior guarantee. Be sure to clean up the embers, rectify the army, and prepare for another battle.

…………………………………… Xu Yifan was promoted from the title of Minister of the Ministry of War. In addition to his Nanyang Xuanwei imperial envoy, the Imperial Guards’ training imperial envoy, and the North Korean North Road to suppress imperial envoy, the rank of the North Korean imperial envoy, and the rank of the Imperial Envoy, and the rank of the Imperial Envoy, was removed from the Japanese Union and the Imperial Envoy, and the position of the four imperial envoys was maintained. All the Qing troops in the North Korea were fully in charge. They must not allow the Japanese army to cross the Datong River line and enter the Longxing area in the northeast of the Qing Dynasty. The court gave important tasks, and after the work was completed, they must be rewarded.

Xu Yifan was promoted to the Minister of War, which was considered to have officially entered the high-ranking official system of the Qing Dynasty. With this foundation, as long as he did not fall, he would be qualified to be a governor and a full-time official. In just two years, the four imperial envoys were white and the deputy minister of the Qing Dynasty's Ministry of National Defense...... It was a pity that people could only sigh.

………Zuo Baogui, Deng Shichang, Lin Taizeng and others all expressed their gratitude. The court set up sacrifices to summon heroes and encouraged the future.

………All provinces must listen to the transfer of military training in Zhili, Shandong and other provinces. Each province must report the funds to the court immediately! Zhili will immediately recruit 200 new military training camps, 40th battalions in the northeast, 100th battalions in Shandong, and Jiangnan and other provinces, and will also add additional recruitment. Famous officials and generals will be selected to govern them and prepare to fight again with Japan.

These telegrams were sent out like snowflakes, which stirred up waves in the sky in the originally stagnant Qing Dynasty.

No matter how bad the Qing Dynasty was, I had been in charge of the Westernization Affairs for decades, trained so many soldiers, and bought so many soldiers. How could I be beaten so badly by the little Japanese? The people in the capital were the most informed and spoke the loudest. There were a lot of discussions on the streets and alleys.

"………… Why can’t I, the Qing Dynasty? The powerful brigade of 20,000 to 30,000 people was chased and ran away in North Korea, and the iron-armored warship was sunk...…What went wrong?"

"Add a new camp... I'm not going to add a new recruit! A group of new recruits were recruited for a few taels of silver, but the foreign guns would not be released. When the gunshots were heard, they were still dispersed? 50,000 people in Zhili, 30,000 were gone, and there were still 20,000 left. How can I resist the Japanese? It's important to transfer the soldiers from Nanyang quickly!"

"What's the use of Nanyang? It is said that the court was still ill and rushed to seek medical treatment. Old Man Weng had the idea of ​​recruiting descendants of the Hunan Army to form an army to fight! The governor of Hunan, Lord Wu, is also most eager. You must know that the soldiers in Nanyang are not useful when they are in France! They were still transferred troops from Beiyang to fight. The children of Hunan Army have enjoyed their blessings for decades and can fight if they are taken out? Now that the Huai Army is gone, I hope they are just empty!"

"Who can turn this tide...... Li Zhongtang is old!"

"…………There is another Lord Xu in North Korea! He has a newly trained imperial guards, who have killed people from Southeast Asia to North Korea, and the blood-stained red! When the Japanese were in trouble in Seoul, he easily calmed down. Old man Li was jealous of him and excluded him to the north. His own Huai army guarded Seoul. What was the result? Su Dingfang, who was jealous of the virtuous and jealous, had no good end! I heard that the imperial guards dared to fight heroes, so he pointed out that Lord Xu could turn the tide and fall!"

"………It’s embarrassing. My Qing Dynasty was beaten like this by a small Japanese. What should I do when facing a stronger Westerner? Brother, it seems that we can only be a slave to the country, like Poland was destroyed by the Rakshasa Kingdom. The people can only walk in the middle, afraid that you will steal things from the business name next to you. When they see the Rakshasa people, whether they are the smallest soldiers or beggars, they will take off their hats and salute... At that time, it’s better to die!"

"The State of China wants a hero to save it!"

"Look at it...Look at it...Look at it..."

"Only on the seventh day of the eighth month of the 20th year of the Guangxu period, the sea waves surged and the clouds drooped. The iron-armored giant ships joined the sea, and artillery roared and thundered and lightning were thundering..."

Everyone stood solemnly, listening to Xu Yifan chanting the sacrificial text. A row of pike soldiers were fully armed, standing straight with rifles, facing the west and the sea and the sky.

"…………… The Duke called him, 'The slam of life might be like a glimmer of life', and he led the warships, bulged his body, and resolutely stepped forward, and attacked him without a single shot. The enemy had no choice but torpedoes, and then he would be able to survive forever! After the separation of Pyongyang, he would be far away from the end of the world. Since the servant died, he could only move forward...…… Xu vowed not to share the Japanese pirates with the Japanese pirates for a day!

Brother Deng, Brother Deng! My soul is back! Going far to the west, returning to the hometown of Duke! Alas, the sky is vast, the sea is vast, and there is national sorrow on the ocean!"

Xu Yifan stood attentively and bowed straightly, with tears flowing on his face. The remaining generals of the Huai Army, all of whom were crying when they remembered their successive deaths.

Amid the low voice of command, a row of soldiers of the Guard raised their guns to the sky, and made three consecutive sounds. The white smoke at the muzzle rose and was blown away by the wind in a blink of an eye.

And Xu Yifan had already beaten his chest and was deeply moved.

Pu Yang immediately supported him beside him. As the leader of the Huai Army present, Nie Shicheng rushed over and supported Xu Yifan, and comforted him with tears: "Sir, Lord Deng is also feeling the same as the spring! Even Brother Guanting and others have spirits in the sky, they all look at him! We defeated officials are waiting for us to take us to revenge!" The Huai Army basically knew the friendship between Xu Yifan and Deng Shichang. This sacrifice made me cry and said I was not moved. It was true that I was false.

As soon as Nie Shicheng said the words, the Huai Army generals around him responded one after another. Although the situation is still unclear, there is no doubt that everyone will be temporarily in charge of Xu Yifan. Whether the old Zhongtang can hold on to it is still a matter of fact. If Xu Yifan gets up and falls down, according to this guy's skills, he may not be a backer... Everyone should look older!

Xu Yifan gritted his teeth and wiped away his tears, then bowed to the soul-suming spirit, patted Nie Shicheng, and strode towards his basic team. The ranks of officers had long stood as straight as the line. Looking at Xu Yifan coming, Li Yunzong, the leader of the team, gave a command, and everyone stood attentively, and all their eyes were cast.

Xu Yifan gritted his teeth and sneered: "The little Japanese sank our ships, and the troops are wide open. The water and land can advance together at this time. Our Imperial Guard is now full of enemies, hanging alone in a corner of North Korea... Let's talk, what should our Imperial Guard do?"

"The bloody battle to the end is just death!"

The majestic and neat roars of these officers made the civil servants and generals of the Huai Army shudder.

"Okay!" Xu Yifan roared and half turned around and pointed to the south: "The tens of thousands of Japanese troops, perhaps with more reinforcements, are coming in large numbers, wanting to defeat, expel and eliminate us! And we are going to let them die on this line of death! The Imperial Guard is the mainstay of our China. We will defend this vassal for the country and save our luck! Let North Korea become a national mourning place for the Japanese devils!

……………All the troops were defeated, the doors were wide open, and people were panicked…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

He almost used all his strength to shout, which made the Huai Army officers around him look at each other. Xu Yifan's tone was such a big tone, he was really a desperate 25! But for some reason, this feeling made them feel a little trembling!

But the Imperial Guards were raised higher. Xu Yifan has always cultivated their sense of honor, mission, and even the sense of salvation in this crisis, making them feel that the whole world is the Imperial Guards!

"Disband and prepare for battle!"

Li Yunzong issued a command, and the officers of the Imperial Guards quietly dispersed and returned to their respective posts. Before each left, they saluted Deng Shichang's spiritual position.

Xu Yifan was still standing there quietly, his agitation seemed to have not calmed down. Nie Shicheng walked over gently and whispered: "Mr. Xu, why don't you leave my direct subordinate in this Dongxianling area? If you escape in a frustration, you'd still want to find the Japanese to get back this revenge!"

Xu Yifan looked back at him and shook his head and said, "Gongting, you should go to the east line Jiangdong, Shunchuan, and Cishan line to cover my flanks... The troops must master it well. If you lack anything, I will add it to you without any conditions."

Nie Shicheng hesitated for a moment, looked back at Ye Zhichao who was pretending to be nothing, "...I didn't say what I should do, we have made up for it. But... I'd better let me stay here to fight the Japanese."

"Worried about Ye Shuqing?"

Nie Shicheng nodded silently: "My subordinates have decided to separate the road from Beiyang... To be honest, Beiyang will no longer trust his subordinates. He will take the Huai Army to cover the wings of the Lord, and his subordinates are afraid that they will not be able to control them."

Xu Yifan smiled faintly and patted his shoulder: "Mongting, it's great to have this heart... Don't worry, I gave you two battalions backbones, and there is a bid for the Second Town of the Imperial Guard in Anzhou. With your headquarters, it will shock them! Ye Shuqing and Wei Dasan have left them in Pyongyang. You see they get bored, so do I! If they want to make something happen, don't worry, I will wipe them out with one hand! I hope they make a fuss and just use their heads to pay tribute to Zuo Guanting Zuo Gong!"

When talking about Zuo Baogui, Nie Shicheng's tears almost fell again. He gave a military salute on his chest and was about to retreat. Xu Yifan could no longer be picky about him. He treated him equally and protected his position, and was more at ease to give him full authority. He did not use foreign troops as vanguards as vanguards first... If he really did this, who would dare not obey orders? The Imperial Guards were much stronger than them.

People's hearts are full of flesh. How can we not repay such kindness? Let's say that if we have such a strong army in hand, are you afraid that Xu Yifan will not have the status of Li Hongzhang in the future?
Chapter completed!