Chapter 72: Actions of Both Sides in China and Germany

  "From Yun Xian nephew, glad to hear that the nephew has landed at Weihaiwei and will come to reinforce the old man soon. The old man is very relieved. After several days of fierce battle with the Germans, we have killed dozens of enemies and suffered hundreds of casualties ourselves. The German army is indeed powerful, and upon receiving news of your arrival, they have switched from offense to defense, building military fortifications. The Germans are skilled in earthwork, and their defenses are very strict. Our troops are weak, and for the time being, we cannot take them down, so we can only hold our ground and wait for your arrival before making further plans." Yeh Zhenkui held the telegram sent by Nie Shicheng, speechless, this was only his second morning in Weihaiwei, revealing Nie's anxious mood.

  Nie Shicheng's meaning was quite obscure, but Ye Zikui still saw it at a glance. This was to rescue him and hoped he could hurry over. However, Ye Zikui still didn't expect the German army to be so powerful, with several fierce battles resulting in only about ten casualties. Thinking of the later Láng Fāng Dà Jié (Langfang Great Victory), Ye Zikui had nothing more to say. In the Langfang Great Victory, the Allied forces lost 6 men and 48 were injured. It seems that Nie Shicheng's battle results over the past few days are comparable to two Langfang Great Victories.

  Ye Zhiwei decided to set off immediately with the main force, after all, the longer they dragged on, the more solidly the German military buildings would be built, and the more difficult it would be for our side to attack.

  On March 20, 1895, Ye Zhiqi's fleet set out from the Weihaiwei Beiyang Fleet Base, and the Beiyang Fleet was not idle either. Deng Shichang led the fleet south according to the established plan discussed with Ye Zhiqi, blockading Jiaozhou Bay. The news spread back to Germany, infuriating Emperor Wilhelm II, who boasted of sending a second fleet to China.

  The German Emperor, William II, is sitting on a sofa having his meal. Because his left arm is withered and the two hands are of different lengths, he cannot bring knife and fork to his mouth at the same time when eating, looking quite strange. His brother Prince Heinrich sits beside him.

  William II took a few bites, put down his knife and fork, and suddenly said with hatred: "The Beiyang Fleet of the Qing Dynasty actually dared to blockade Jiaozhou Bay, regarding my German fleet as nothing. Henry, you immediately organize the second fleet to rush to the Far East and give them a lesson."

  Prince Heinrich knew that the Kaiser was in a state of fury, so he advised: "Your Majesty, the Beiyang Fleet is not to be feared, but our country wants to compete with Britain for land around the world to achieve Your Majesty's goal of finding a place in the sun for Germany. If we engage in a fierce battle with the Beiyang Fleet and suffer heavy losses, it would be unwise. Please consider this carefully."

  William II, hearing the words, put down his anger, regained his composure and recalled the invasion of Europe by the Huns in the 5th century. With a gloomy face, he said to the adjutant beside him: "Order Admiral von Spee of the Far Eastern Fleet: You know that you are facing a cunning, brave, well-prepared and ruthless enemy. If you encounter him, remember: do not sympathize with him, do not accept prisoners of war. Fight bravely, so that in a thousand years the Chinese will still dare not look at Germans."

  The orderly hastily took note, and Henry knew that William would not rest until he had vented his anger, so he paid no attention to this savage and cruel order.

  William II ultimately did not send a second fleet to the Far East, but agreed with Detlev von Bülow's opinion, on the one hand asking the German ambassador in China, Edmund Brückner, to continue putting pressure on the Qing government, and on the other hand requiring the German army to defeat the Qing Empire's strongest military force, the Wuwei Army, on land, then forcing the Qing Dynasty to cede territory and make peace, and also issued a call for Germans in Shandong Province to take up arms to defend the imperial territory of Qingdao.

  The order of Wilhelm II was transmitted to China word for word, and the Germans in China, including missionaries, businessmen, and retired soldiers, responded to the call and formed a militia of over 200 men to assist the German army in defending Qingdao.

  The Summer Palace, where Empress Dowager Cixi is receiving Li Hongzhang.

  Cixi was half-reclining on a wooden armchair, with two eunuchs beside her feeding her pastries. Li Hongzhang sat on a small stool below, respectfully lowering his head with a gentle and kind expression.

  Cixi nodded slightly, looking a bit worried, and said: "Shaohuang, the German ambassador has threatened to expand the war and attack our capital. I'm a little concerned, I don't know if it's true or false. Although the Wuwei Army is the elite of our Qing Dynasty, they were trained by the Germans. Now that they are fighting their teachers, I don't know if Ye Zhikui can stop them."

  Li Hongzhang let out a sigh, calmed his emotions, and replied: "Reporting to the Empress Dowager, the German ambassador's words are exaggerated and meant to intimidate. The German troops in China are only over a thousand men, how can they possibly reach the capital of our great Qing dynasty? Ye Zhikui has 5,000 elite Qing troops, and Nie Shicheng also has 5 or 6 thousand militia in Shandong province, ten times more than the enemy. Moreover, the people of Shandong are enthusiastic about resisting Germany, their morale is high, and we can rely on them. I believe Ye Zhikui will not disappoint us."

  Li Hongzhang swallowed a mouthful of phlegm and slowly said: "Moreover, even if Ye Zikui is defeated in battle, we can still seek peace afterwards, and it's not too late to cede Jiaozhou then. At this time, the generals and soldiers are truly fighting with all their might, the imperial court should give them great support, cannot chill the hearts of the generals and soldiers, Your Majesty."

  Cixi nodded, closed her eyes, and no longer asked questions. In her heart, she thought that if Ye Zhiwei could win, it would be best. However, if Ye Zhiwei were to lose, she would cede the Jiaozhou Bay to Germany to appease their anger. She believed that the Germans would then be satisfied and not pursue the matter further, which would not have serious consequences for the Qing dynasty's rule.

  Li Hongzhang saw that Cixi was no longer speaking and couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief, as he feared that Cixi would now change her mind again and go to war with Germany, ceding territory in exchange for peace.

  Ji Mo, Nie Shicheng took command of the camp.

  Nie Shicheng looked at the military map of Jiaozhou area, frowning and speechless. At this moment, the German army had set up its first line of defense on the outskirts of Qingdao in Fushan.

  Fushan is located northeast of Qingdao, a natural barrier that the German army occupies with an advantageous position. It corresponds to the German stronghold on the isolated mountain in the north and can closely monitor every move of the Qing army. Nie Shicheng hates the German reconnaissance team on the peak of Fushan and wants to get rid of them as soon as possible.

  Occupying the Floating Hill, cutting off the German army's eyes and ears, and being able to overlook Qingdao city with binoculars is very beneficial for our troops, so taking down the Floating Hill became the top priority at that time.

  Niuhuru's previous attacks were all repelled here, the German army was in a superior position, with about 200 defenders, relying on their powerful weapons to attack from above. Niuhuru's attacking troops suffered heavy casualties and had to temporarily suspend their offensive, make good preparations for food and grass logistics, implement a policy of clearing the walls and waiting for Ye Zhikui's arrival.

  "Nie General, Ye General's telegram has arrived, saying they have already set out from Weihaiwei and will arrive soon!" a subordinate suddenly reported.

  Nie Shi Cheng didn't even raise his head, but the gleam in his eyes revealed his excitement. This news was the best after all these days.

  Nie Shi Cheng said calmly, "Got it, reinforcements will arrive soon, our army must not be careless either, prevent the Germans from launching a sneak attack. Last time we were ambushed because of carelessness, if it weren't for our numerical superiority, we might have been defeated."

  His face was awkward, last time his camp was raided by the Germans, damn it, the German firepower was too strong, caught off guard, he suffered a great loss.

  Nie Shicheng fell silent after speaking, his profound gaze fixed on Weihaiwei. His thoughts had already drifted to Ye Zhikui. From the clouds, I didn't expect that we would be fighting side by side again soon. I only hope that this time you can bring surprises to Lao Fu as well, Guo Zhaofu.

  …………

  First of all, thank you to the "That Year's Flower Blooming" brother for his reward. I am grateful and then on the last day, I would like to ask for votes from Sanjiang again. It's not that I'm nagging or have big ambitions, but my ranking is at the back in Sanjiang voting, brothers, please spare one minute to help me vote, thank you!