Chapter 58: The Battle of Han Yang (Part 1)

  A wisp of black smoke came from afar, and a gunboat on the Yangtze River was chugging along downstream. On the copper nameplate in the middle of the ship's body, two big characters stood out: Chu Guan.

  As the most powerful war machine of the Republican Army at present, "Chu Guan" has been patrolling back and forth on the Wuhan River for a whole day. The two Armstrong quick-firing guns at the bow and stern were always held high, pointing directly at Hanyang, firing more than 100 rounds in support of the Republican Army's land forces.

  The gunboat has just finished its rest in Parrot Island, the coal bunker is fully loaded with high-quality coal from Pingxiang Coal Mine, the boiler is also filled with water, all crew members are in high spirits, the engine room is burning fiercely, and the steam engine pressure is steadily rising. Now, it is confidently sailing downstream from upstream, continuing to perform its artillery shelling mission against the enemy forces in Hanyang.

  Commander-in-Chief Chao's military order has just been delivered to the ship. If there are no unexpected events, this bombardment may be the last attack on Hanyang City. After a day of fighting and shelling, the Qing army guarding outside Hanyang City has been cleared, and both defensive lines have fallen into the hands of the Republican Army. The Fengshan Gate in the west of Hanyang City and the Nanji Gate in the south have also been occupied by the Republican Army's dare-to-die corps. The Chaozong Gate facing the Yangtze River has been blown to ruins. Now, the battle for Hanyang City has extended from outside the city to inside, with fierce street fighting unfolding between the two sides on the streets and alleys of the city. In fact, the south of the city has already been recovered, and the Qing army can only shrink into a small area in the north of the city, relying on the support of the Guishan Northern Navy's artillery to resist desperately. Due to the advantageous position of the Guishan artillery camp, which is high and commanding, with superior range and visibility, the Republican Army's artillery cannot suppress it by firepower, so they can only use the main gun of the warship to suppress the Qing army's artillery camp, covering the infantry attack.

  To avoid being shelled by the Kuiyuan artillery, the "Chu Kuan" sailed close to the south bank of the Yangtze River, anchoring outside the enemy's range with its broadside facing Kuiyuan. The two 120mm main guns were then trained on Kuiyuan, taking aim at the target based on the smoke rising from the summit. With a single command, both main guns fired simultaneously, suppressing the Northern Army's 75mm field artillery atop Kuiyuan. At the same time, the 75mm secondary guns on the broadside also opened fire towards the north of Hanyang City, supporting the Republican forces fighting in the city.

  "Boom! Boom!"

  The cannons rumbled, and black smoke rose from the north of Hanyang City and the top of Guishan Mountain from time to time. The gunfire in Hanyang City also became more intense, echoing each other, and in this majestic overture, the Battle of Hanyang's defense reached its most critical moment.

  Standing on the city wall shrouded in smoke, Zhao Bei picked up his binoculars and gazed out for a moment before issuing a general attack order to his combat adjutant beside him.

  "Launch a full-scale assault, and we must end the battle in the city before nightfall!"

  After a few minutes, the charge sounded, and the Republican artillery units launched the most intense bombardment against the Qing army's position in the north of the city. The whole city of Hanyang echoed with shouts.

  On the city wall, the revolutionary red flag fluttered and flew across the city, with an atmosphere that shook the sky.

  ……

  Before nightfall, the battle in Hanyang City finally ended. After suffering heavy casualties, the Qing army besieged in the north of the city finally collapsed. One unit raised a white flag and surrendered on the battlefield, while another fled to the direction of Guishan Mountain in disarray. In the chaos, the fake Qing prefect and county magistrate were captured without being able to escape.

  On the top of Guishan Mountain, the iron-blooded republican flag was seen flying in the north of the city. The Beiyang Army artillery immediately adjusted their cannons and bombarded fiercely. The flagpole was cut off twice by shrapnel, but it was quickly erected again on the city wall by the dare-to-die corps. At the same time, the "Chu Guan" continued to suppress the Qing army's artillery with intense firepower.

  The artillery positions of the Northern Army on the top of Guishan Mountain soon fell silent, which was indeed the credit of "Chu Kuan", but it cannot be ignored that the Northern Army's new-style shells were in short supply.

  The balloon corps of the Republican Army began to retrieve their balloons, and as the last basket touched down on the ground, the final glimmer of light vanished from the earth, darkness began to envelop the land, and the battlefield that had been noisy all day began to fall silent, with only occasional shots ringing out, and almost no cannon fire could be heard.

  But this was just a brief calm before the storm, and the Republican Army would never give the Qing army any chance to breathe.

  As long as the Turtle Mountain stronghold is still in the hands of the Qing army, the city of Hanyang cannot be said to have been recovered. Therefore, it is necessary to launch a night attack and capture the Turtle Mountain artillery position at one stroke.

  In fact, before the collapse of the Qing army in the north of the city, the Republican Army had already begun to organize the Guishan Dare-to-Die Corps. Now, shock troops selected from various units were lined up with high morale at Fengshan Gate, undergoing a review by Commander-in-Chief Chao.

  A night raid is the best test of a unit's discipline and courage. Since ancient times, military strategists have been most wary of night raids. If not well-organized, a hasty night raid can easily become the start of a disastrous defeat. The dark night is not only an ally to the attacking side but also a good friend to deserters. A unit with low morale will never be able to launch a successful night raid.

  So, this night raid unit was recruited entirely from volunteers. The material reward was 100 yuan, and the spiritual reward was a commendation in the army's bulletin and a major merit recorded. With great rewards comes bravery, and the 500-strong assault team was already clenching their fists and waiting for the commander-in-chief's order to be given.

  Of course, not everyone joined the assault team for that reward. In this great era of youth, there is no lack of idealists. Perhaps in the eyes of others, they seem a bit foolish, but it is these "foolish" brave warriors who are supporting this shaky nation. Perhaps personally, they do not have much power to change the fate of the country, but if they cannot be united, this nation, this country will ultimately not become strong. And the one who unites them is Zhao Bei.

  At this moment, Zhao Bei held a bowl of yellow wine, surrounded by several advisors, standing on a table that served as a reviewing platform, and shouted to the assault team members.

  "Comrades! This is a bowl of victory wine! It's also a bowl of courage-boosting wine! And it's a bowl of heroic wine! If we take down Turtle Mountain, our revolutionary cause will have taken a big step forward! The night battle is not just about tactics and strategy, but also about bravery! The first assault team failed, the second assault team goes up! The second assault team fails, I'll lead the charge myself! Now the dare-to-die team attacking Qintai has set out. As soon as the guns at Qintai fire, it will be our revolutionaries' time to achieve great things. No more idle talk, let's go!"

  "Cheers!"

  The commando raised his wine bowl with both hands and drank the liquor together with the commander-in-chief.

  "Bang!"

  Zhao Bei flung the large ceramic bowl to the ground with force, drew out his command knife, held it high above his head and shouted: "The revolution will surely triumph! Long live the Republic!"

  "Bang!"

  "Revolution will surely succeed! Long live the Republic!"

  The stormtroopers also threw away their wine bowls, drew out the big knives from the scabbards on their backs, those without big knives raised their rifles with bayonets attached, and lifted up the heavy landmines. The crowd shouted in unison, and the shouting voices echoed far into the night sky, making people's hearts tremble with fear.

  This era needs heroes!