Chapter 43: The Battle (3)

There is a problem that the coalition command ignored, that is, since the Chinese army has such advanced weapons and equipment, why has it been defensive? Are the Chinese people afraid of the coalition? Look at the warriors who are ready to die, you should know that the answer is wrong. So what else can all of this mean? It can only mean that all this is a strategy, a strategy of the Chinese.

However, the British and French coalition forces have always regarded the Chinese army as the starting point and put themselves in the position of getting started. In their opinion, the coalition attack is natural. The Chinese army does not have the strength to compete with the coalition forces, but they did not expect that at this time, Li Xiucheng had already judged that the coalition forces were at the end of their strength and had already begun to arrange his counterattack.

A 10,000 assault force had already left the city in the dark and ambushed the only way from the coalition forces to the Baihe estuary. Waiting for the coalition forces to get bloody at the city of Tianjin, Li Xiucheng wanted to fight back. This force was squeezed out of the defending troops. Faced with the rampant attack of the coalition forces, Li Xiucheng had long wanted to deal with them, and what reassured Li Xiucheng was that his combat plan had been approved by Yang Yi. For this reason, Yang Yi also drew 5,000 cavalry from Beijing for Li Xiucheng to dispatch.

As long as those who have participated in this battle, no one has forgotten this day, August 12, 1860. The sun came out very early on this day, and the ground was hot quickly with many suns shining on the ground. The soldiers of the Chinese army were lying in the trenches, quietly waiting for the frenzy last attack of the coalition forces. In Tianjin City, the 30,000 reserve team that Li Xiucheng had always kept was also ready to attack. Both sides of the war wanted to give the opponent the most fatal blow today. The coalition's offensive forces were all in place, and they had to face death just by waiting for that order.

The coalition's artillery preparations this time were particularly long, as if they wanted to finish all the shells in this moment. At this time, the Chinese army soldiers could only lie desperately in the trenches and bunkers, waiting for the stormy firepower to prepare for passing.

Almost every piece of land on the position was patronized by artillery shells. Most of the soldiers on the position were hidden in a solid bunker built in advance to avoid artillery fire. Only a few soldiers were left on the position to observe the movements of the coalition forces. The soldiers who had adapted to the artillery fire flexibly avoided the coalition forces' shells in the craters. Several barbed wires also became ragged after these battles, and they had already played a role in blocking the coalition forces. Next, it was the Chinese soldiers who faced the brutal coalition forces directly.

We must persevere until dark, no one is allowed to take a step back, we must drag the foreign devils to death. This is the most resolute order issued by Li Xiucheng.

The coalition came up, and 50,000 troops attacked in full swing. This was a gamble from the coalition. Fifty thousand troops attacked in turn. Marshal Virginson and Jean and Carmondo had issued death orders to their respective subordinates and were absolutely not allowed to retreat. Even if they died, they had to face the direction of Tianjin City. As long as they took the outer positions, Tianjin City would be completely exposed to the range of artillery fire, and it would be more confident to take Tianjin at that time.

The brave ones won when they met on a narrow road. Faced with the crazy attack of the coalition forces, the young Chinese soldiers burst out with extremely heroic courage. No one retreated on the position. Even if some people were afraid, when they saw their comrades around them pick up the bayonet and rush towards the coalition forces that rushed to the position, they all forgot about life and death. They inserted a grenade on their waists, and when they were surrounded by the enemy, they pulled it and died with the enemy. This is what the soldiers spontaneously learned to guard the warriors of Taiwan after they heard that after the war on Taiwan defense, they spontaneously learned how to defend the warriors of Taiwan.

Although the position is strong and strong, the machine gun is densely energetic, and grenades fall into the coalition forces like rain, there are too many coalition forces coming up, and the two armies on many positions have entered hand-to-hand combat. The Chinese army is beyond the expectation of the coalition forces. Only when there is no living person on the position can the coalition forces occupy it. Even those dying seriously injured people will be able to pull the grenades on their bodies when they are approaching.

Marshal Virginson and Marshal Carlmondo were shocked. Although he foresaw the hardship, he did not expect it to be so difficult. The artillery fire, which was highly anticipated by the coalition, seemed to have not brought much damage to the Chinese army. One coalition and one regiment was crippled. When he went up, there were more than a thousand people, but only a dozen people were down. The soldiers from both sides had been repeatedly tug-of-war on the positions. One position changed hands several times within an hour, and the battle had reached a fever pitch.

Qilitang is undoubtedly the most important link in Li Xiucheng's entire defense system. The terrain near Qilitang is relatively high, which can be said to be the only commanding height on the front of the entire defense system. Both sides clearly know the importance of this position. Virginson concentrated 15,000 troops to launch a fierce attack on Qilitang, and more than 100 cannons turned the small high ground to the sky.

What shocked the coalition forces the most was that under such terrifying artillery fire, the Chinese soldiers did not retreat. When the smoke of gunpowder dissipated slightly and the coalition forces approached the position, the Chinese soldiers jumped out again and used the weapons in their hands to attack the coalition forces.

This was the 20th time that the coalition forces had attacked this fast position. The last Chinese soldier on the position finally fell to the ground. The soldiers of the 15th and 16th regiments of the 7th Division who defended this position were all killed in battle, including all officers. Qilitang was occupied by the coalition for the fifth time under the coalition's crazy attacks again and again.

Li Shixian had never seen Li Xiucheng's face look so ugly. Li Xiucheng, who has always been calm, felt as uncomfortable as if he was upside down. Was he wrong? Was he the goal too big?

"Master, let the reserve team go." Lai Hanying couldn't sit still when he heard that Qilitang had fallen again. In this battle, his three divisions were used as the general reserve team and were used by Li Xiucheng to counterattack. He is still staying behind.

Li Xiucheng's face turned pale and turned red. No one knew what he was thinking? At this time, what Li Xiucheng thought about was what Yang Yi said last time before leaving: "European powers have already walked far ahead of us in terms of industrial technology and science and technology. What we rely on is just geographical and people. If this battle is simply to repel the coalition forces, then there is no need to be too old. The great powers who are unwilling to fail will definitely fight back. By then, we will not be as surprised as we are now. They can fully understand the combat effectiveness of our army. Therefore, we must completely eliminate the future peeping of China by the great powers in this war."

The key to the outcome of the war is often determined in the last five minutes. The new army is struggling to support it. Isn’t the coalition fighting a trapped beast? Li Xiucheng finally made a decision and turned to the two of them and said, “No, you must not use the counterattack reserve team. You go down immediately and organize a suicide squad. You must take back Qilitang.”

Li Shixian came up and said, "Brother, I'll sort out the withdrawn troops and take them up in person." Li Xiucheng looked at his only biological brother, a sixteen-year-old child when he joined the army. Now he has become a powerful general under his command. His years of military career have trained Li Shixian to be mature and capable, and his character is still firm. Looking at Li Shixian's firm gaze, Li Xiucheng nodded slightly and said, "You go, be careful."

Li Shixian gave a sudden salute and turned around and was about to go out. Li Xiucheng suddenly shouted him again and said, "Take my guard battalion with me. Remember, you must guard until dark, notify the heavy mortar regiment and hit me with all the shells."

The Qilitang position was finally taken down, and Marshal Virginson and Jean and Marshal Carmondo breathed a sigh of relief. This position was like a devil, and had swallowed more than 4,000 coalition soldiers. If you take this fast position, you can attack the surrounding Chinese troops from a high position. The two marshals seemed to have seen that all the outer positions in Tianjin City could be taken down.

"Notify the reserve team and prepare to attack immediately. Before dark, you must take down all the positions outside Tianjin. Tomorrow I will let the shells hit Tianjin City." Marshal Virginson gave a happy order. The two marshals also looked at each other happily and smiled knowingly. Unlike the previous few times, this time the Chinese army did not launch a counterattack at the first time, so there should be no reserve team.

The pleasure of the two marshals did not last long. Just a few minutes after they issued the order, the artillery fire of the Chinese army began. Li Shixian and more than 800 people who had been temporarily pieced together to launch a counterattack at the Qilitang position. Except for Li Xiucheng's guard battalion, the rest of the troops were all the minor wounded soldiers who were injured by various troops, as well as some civilian personnel. Li Shixian rushed in front with a bayonet rifle. The counterattack troops rushed to the front of the position like a whirlwind. A dense grenade was thrown over, and the coalition soldiers immediately exploded into a mess. The exhausted coalition soldiers did not expect that the Chinese army's counterattack was so sharp that the two sides fought hand-to-hand on the position.

Inspired by Li Shixian, Chinese soldiers were all brave and everyone fought with the coalition forces first. As the saying goes: The soft ones are afraid of the hard ones, the hard ones are afraid of the ruthless ones, and the ruthless ones are afraid of the life. The soldiers didn't even want their lives, so what else is there to be afraid of? They used bayonets, big swords, and even bite them with their teeth, and they all took their own efforts. After half an hour of resistance, the coalition forces were finally beaten again.

The position was taken back again, and the two marshals were furious. The captain who was guarding the position was immediately pulled out and executed.

"Before dark, you must take the position down for me." Marshal Carmondo, who had not expressed much opinion, also roared at the troops that ordered the attacking.

It was finally dark, and the summer nights did not pity these soldiers who had been fighting on the battlefield, but they were still late. This was a night that both soldiers on the side were looking forward to. For coalition soldiers, the threat of death can be temporarily avoided when the night comes, while the Chinese army can use the night to adjust the position.

At night, the exhausted soldiers on both sides paused their fighting, and only the artillery of the coalition forces were still shooting a few shots in a sporadic manner, disturbing the normal adjustment of the Chinese army.

In one day's battle, the coalition forces had broken through more than half of the positions outside Tianjin, but several key positions were still firmly in the hands of the Chinese army.

"Can you still fight?" Virkinson was shaken and asked Jean, Marshal Carmondo.

"Do we have any choice? The Chinese army is almost out of reach, and we will definitely be able to hit the city tomorrow." Although Marshal Carmondo cheered his allies like this, his tone was obviously a little unconfident.

The sky was still bright early, and the sun appeared on time. Some of the dead bodies on the positions had begun to smell strange under such hot weather, a smell controlled by death.

"Long live the Queen, long live the British Empire." The British soldiers shouted slogans and started another day's attack.

"Long live His Majesty the Emperor of France, Long live the glorious France." French soldiers also shouted slogans, stepped on the blood-stained soil, and rushed towards the position. The French Army, with a glorious history, had a sense of pride in their bones that refused to admit defeat.

Qilitang once again became the main target of the coalition forces' offensive. The casualties on the positions increased dramatically. The coalition forces spared no expenses, attacked again and again. Less than two hours after the war started, Li Shixian and the others repelled the twelve attacks of the coalition forces. There were less than one hundred people on the positions, which was not even those slightly injured soldiers. Li Xiucheng's guard battalion was the main force on this position. They were well-equipped, but the sacrifices were the greatest. More than two hundred young and energetic children were left, with only a dozen people left.

At the critical moment, Li Xiucheng sent his special forces to Qilitang. Although this unit has made great achievements in combat, it has suffered a lot of casualties. The 500-man army now has only a little more than 200 people.

When the special forces arrived at Qilitang, Li Shixian was leading the soldiers to fight to the death to block the coalition forces. The two sides were fighting hand in hand. As the soldiers on the positions continued to decrease, almost every attack by the coalition forces, they finally used hand in hand to fight the coalition forces. When the special forces arrived, the position was already in danger. Zhao Ziping and his brothers rushed to help Li Shixian and others attack the coalition forces again.

Another day is about to pass. After two days of battle, the two cities deployed by Li Xiucheng on the peripheral positions have basically been injured and killed. Almost every position is struggling to support it. The loss of every position means that all the soldiers on that position have died heroically.

Li Xiucheng has been waiting for the news sent by the troops sent to cut off the coalition forces' retreat. It was getting dark again. The coalition launched an attack on Qilitang for the last time. The more than 100 people on the position could no longer tell which unit it was. They came from more than ten units, and some were logistics troops. They usually used pots and spoons as weapons. Now they also appeared on the position, and there were also the young men from stretcher teams. These Tianjin Wei men stayed and picked up the wooden sticks in their hands and fought with the coalition forces.

The coalition finally couldn't support it anymore and was forced to retreat for the last attack.

Li Xiucheng The time to wait for finally came. Intelligence came from the rear of the coalition forces. The blocking troops had arrived at Sanli Bay. The fighter plane that Li Xiucheng was looking forward to finally came. Li Xiucheng wanted to take care of the coalition forces' dumplings.

It was dark and the counterattack troops were ready. The soldiers who had been holding in the city for many days had long wished they could kill in front of the enemy and avenge their dead brothers.

After continuous battles, the coalition forces had completely become the last of their strength. On the outer positions of Tianjin Chagan, the coalition forces lost more than 20,000 corpses, and as many as 30,000 people were injured. The coalition forces could no longer see any hope of victory. The two marshals finally issued an order to retreat, but these wounded people alone were enough for them to transport them for a long time.

In Chengnei, Tianjin, Li Xiucheng was about to issue an order for the general attack, but a bad news also came at this time. Li Shixian, the commander of the First Army of the New Army, was unfortunately hit by a shell on the Qilitang position and died gloriously.

Upon hearing the bad news, Li Xiucheng shook and almost fell down, but fortunately the person next to him supported him.

The order for the general attack was finally issued. Taking advantage of the night, five thousand cavalry rushed towards the artillery positions of the coalition forces. These artillery soldiers were the greatest reliance of the coalition forces and the culprit that caused the biggest casualties to the Chinese army.

The counterattack troops of the three divisions, plus 5,000 cavalry, and a division responsible for cutting off the retreat route of the coalition, Li Xiucheng used as a counterattack troops, and at this time, only 50,000 troops could be used for combat. However, on one side, there were a new force with a strong momentum and murderous intent, while on the other side were exhausted and remnants. In comparison, the victory and defeat were immediately judged.

At the same time as the counterattack began, the remaining guards on the position also launched a final blow to the enemy on the opposite side. The coalition's defense line was quickly broken through, and the desperate coalition was forced to give up all the wounded and began to flee in a hurry.

When the coalition forces, which had been running all night, came to Sanliwan, the only way back, they were hit by the footprint troops and the coalition forces completely collapsed. The Chinese new army chased and killed the coalition soldiers everywhere like a duck. Fortunately, the two commanders of the coalition forces fought to death and fought to make a bloody road, and Adams, who was left at the sea, also sent a reinforcement force in time, so the two marshals were able to escape.

The Chinese army's battle against the coalition forces ended with a great victory. For this victory, the Chinese soldiers continued to make great sacrifices, and 30,000 soldiers were buried forever outside Tianjin City. One commander of the First Army, two deputy division commanders, more than 300 officers at all levels were killed, and more than 100 were injured. Except for more than 8,000 people fled back to the sea, the remaining more than 110,000 people were all annihilated. The coalition forces died 30,000, injured more than 50,000, and captured more than 30,000 people. The war against the invasion of the coalition forces achieved a complete victory.

This war can be said to have completely achieved the pre-strategic concept. Yang Yi made full use of the coalition's unwillingness to stop easily in strategic direction, consumed the coalition again and again, and finally stuck the coalition under Tianjin city, and finally wiped out the entire army.

The defeated coalition forces retreated from the sea in a panic. When the 200,000 sea-fired coalition forces who came to China had only 60,000 people when they returned. Marshal Virginson finally finished writing this battle report. The cold muzzle had reached into his throat, and the trigger was pulled hard. Almost at the same time, Marshal Carmondo also used his love to be a pistol and penetrated his temples. His half-bald head no longer needed to worry about the decreasing hair.
Chapter completed!