Chapter 14: The Mutiny at Huangni Gang (Part 1)

  Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

  With the clear and crisp sound of five shots, Huangni Gang Town, shrouded in night, fell into chaos once again. The revolutionaries of the Qunzhi Academy launched their uprising on schedule, as agreed with Zhao Bei.

  "Comrades! Brothers! The Qing dynasty is cruel and oppressive, bringing disaster to the country and its people! We Han Chinese men, with our dignified seven-foot-tall stature, how can we continue to suffer under the oppression of the Manchu people? The Qing has stolen our sacred artifacts, enslaved our compatriots, and made us into servants of foreign powers. Looking around the world today, where is there not a scene of desolation and despair? Which family is not torn apart by separation and dispersal? Who is not suffering from hunger and cold?"

  Yang Wang Peng stood on a two-wheeled cart, one hand holding a gun and the other holding a torch, facing the dense crowd of rebel soldiers in front of him with passion and fervor. Behind him stood his comrades, their faces solemn and resolute, each face etched with determination. The light from the torches stretched their shadows out long.

  "What should we do?" Yang Wangpeng asked loudly.

  Without waiting for others to speak up, Tian Jinfu, standing by the car, took a step forward and responded loudly: "Of course it's a revolution! Besides revolution, we have no other way out!" As Zhao Bei's "liaison officer", he didn't mind playing the role of "activist" again. Along with him, more than a dozen Anqing military officers who had received the same task had also snuck into various camps under the cover of night.

  "Revolution!" Officer Pan Kangsheng shouted.

  "Revolution!"

  "Revolution!"

  The soldiers also shouted loudly, holding their rifles high in their hands, rising and falling together, the bayonets on the gun tips shining with cold light.

  "Bang! Bang!"

  Bang! Bang!

  In the distance, a sporadic gunshot was heard, and after a moment, the gunfire became dense like fried beans, coming from all directions, everywhere, and the military camp suddenly fell into chaos.

  "The Anqing uprising army has sent 5,000 men to kill us! The end of the Qing dynasty is here! Comrades, brothers, follow me in revolution! Kill!" Yang Wangpeng waved his pistol and jumped down from the baggage car, leading several hundred insurgent soldiers towards the central military headquarters. Since they had already killed off the officers who refused to join the uprising with bayonets earlier, now no one dared to stop them.

  This small troop killed out of the camp after, from all directions gathered more soldiers, however, in the blink of an eye, this rebel army quickly increased to over a thousand people, in the darkness who brought a lead, a majestic song just sounded up:

  "How long will the dream last, when will it awaken? Who created the alarm clock in the land of sleep? The Eastern continent is about to sink, listen to this song... Don't let the fleeting years slip away, don't lament the passing of youth. Closely following Japan and far surpassing Europe, the world's civilization unfolds in sequence..."

  At this time, the song is the horn, the song is the order!

  In the majestic singing voice, more teams gathered, like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea, converging into an unstoppable revolutionary torrent, surging forward, sweeping away all forces that attempted to stop it.

  ……

  Two miles away from Huangni Port, Zhao Bei stood under a tree on the mountain ridge, holding binoculars and taking in the entire scene of the fire dragon in the darkness. Those were torches held by the insurgent soldiers, also the fierce flames burning in their hearts. Whoever dared to block their way would be burned beyond recognition.

  And the one who ignited this fierce flame was Zhao Bei! The wheel of history, which had already turned around, began to accelerate forward.

  In the lens of the telescope, the small Huangni Gang town had become a mess, with flashes of light in the darkness, which were the muzzle flashes when rifles were fired. The sound of gunfire echoed through the valley like the sound of stir-frying beans, and standing on the hillside listening to it was like hearing a lively song that lifted one's spirits.

  "Wu Zhenhan!" Zhao Bei shouted.

  "Here!" Wu Zhenhan stood beside Zhao Bei and responded loudly.

  Zhao Bei couldn't help but reach out and dig his ears, saying: "Order the artillery to push those two mountain guns into position and conduct direct fire!"

  "Yes!" Wu Zhenhan turned around and ran down the valley.

  Zhao Bei put down the binoculars and swept his gaze over the nearby mountain ridge, only to see that it was densely packed with people in the darkness. Although no one spoke, he could hear their heavy breathing, as well as the occasional sound of guns being cocked or scopes being adjusted. The lone machine gun also slowly rotated its barrel in the darkness. In this situation, there was no need to dig trenches; if someone wanted to charge up the mountain, the hail of bullets from above would guarantee that they wouldn't return.

  The cool mountain breeze blows by, enough to keep one calm.

  "Nobody fires without my order!" Zhao Bei loudly repeated the command he had just given. There was no other way, as more than half of these men were newly recruited soldiers who were going into battle for the first time and couldn't help but be confused.

  When Wu Zhenhan led the artillery to push the two mountain guns onto the hill, several green lanterns had already risen from the dark river and harbor. This was a signal sent by Zhu Daniu's assault team, indicating that they had taken over the cargo ships loaded with shells and cannons. On this cold winter night, these excellent sailors did not disappoint Zhao Bei's trust. As long as they could sail the ships downstream overnight, even if the Qing army wanted to organize a counterattack, it would be impossible.

  In this era's battlefield, cannons are everything!

  Zhao Bei walked to one side and glanced at the two mountain guns that had already been pulled into position. These were German Krupp mountain guns, manufactured by the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, with a hydraulic recoil system, 14-caliber barrel, threaded breechblock, initial velocity of 280 meters per second, total weight of 386 kilograms, maximum range of 4300 meters, and excellent performance. Except for the recoil spring, all other parts were made in China, with a high degree of domestication, representing the best work of China's military industry at the end of the Qing dynasty. In the New Army of the South, such new-style large-caliber guns were rarely seen, and the artillery battalion in Anqing had only four, two of which Zhao Bei had brought along. It could be said that Xiong Chengji had invested great enthusiasm in this operation.

  Zhao Bei withdrew his gaze and said lightly, "Measure carefully, fire cautiously." Then he stepped aside, leaving the rest of the matters to be taken care of. These artillerymen were carefully selected from the Anqing New Army, with excellent shooting skills, plus the German-made gun sight, no target could escape the bombardment of these two mountain guns.

  Wu Zhenhan walked up to Zhao Bei, holding a horse lantern in his hand, with no expression on his face, quietly waiting for Zhao Bei's command.

  Zhao Bei glanced at the two hundred assault team members behind Wu Zhenhan, these people were all old soldiers, and most of them had participated in the battle of Anqing, with some actual combat experience.

  Zhao Bei withdrew his gaze and glanced down at the mountain, saying lightly: "Wu Zhenhan, you can head down the mountain."

  Wu Zhenhan bowed, without saying a word, and turned to lead the troops along the mountain ridge towards the foot of the mountain. The mission of this assault team was to attack those transport ships, even if they couldn't capture them, they had to prevent the Qing army from using them. Since the new autumn army had already sent reliable intelligence, they knew clearly which ship was loaded with ammunition. In addition, they were also going to work with the rebel troops to occupy that iron bridge.

  The night was dark, and on the mountain ridge there were only some vague black shadows moving towards the foot of the mountain, gradually merging into the pitch-black background, so that it was impossible to distinguish between people and mountains.